Reading No6
by Lightning-sama
Summary: REWRITE Elyurias has seen what is in Her child's future. She will do anything to prevent the last of Her children from feeling the pain She knows he will feel, so She decides to interfere. The future shatters and a new path is laid out for the group to follow. But will it lead to a happy ending? Or will No.6 destroy everything they work so hard to save? Nezushi
1. Chapter 1 Rewrite

Book One, Chapter One

Disclaimer: Lighting-sama does not own the book/anime/manga series 'No.6'. Lightning-sama does not receive money for writing fanfiction and is not doing this in any way, shape or form to receive money. Any and all recognisable franchises mentioned do not belong to their respective owners.

**Bold is the book.**

_Italics are either people's thoughts or Elyurias speaking._

This is set in episode 7, before the kiss. I wrote this originally for but decided to re-write it both here and on . The translation I use is not by me, it was done by Nostalgia on 9th Avenue on blogspot. Also this is very long because I have put all three parts of chapter one together.

Enjoy

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><p>Elyurias smiled, affection resounding within Her as She studied the last of Her children and his companions, each of them unaware of the strands of fate that intertwined all of their lives. Her child, who had cast away the name She had given him for another, Nezumi, the boy-who-was-not-yet-a-man-but-would-be-soon Shion, who had saved Her child's life and continued to do so again and again, who loved Her child freely and without conditions. Karan, Her heart-child's precious one's mother, who loved as fiercely as her son did. Inukashi and Rikiga, with hardened hearts but who would rise to the occasion and help to destroy the parasite city that had killed Her people and poisoned Her land.<p>

But still... They were children, just children who, for all of their trials and fights, did not understand what they were getting into. They could not possibly hope to understand what they were getting into...

The idea came to Her slowly, it would be difficult, it would change everything and She couldn't be sure if it was for the good or not but...one last look into Her child's heart told her, it needed to be done. Stretching out Her power, Elyurias reached out to four separate souls and gently pulled them, Her song reaching out to them.

"_Kaze wa tamashii o sarai, hito wa kokoro o ubau*..."_

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><p>Nezumi stared frozen at Inukashi it-it couldn't be true. Shion...<em>was asking<em> about the Correctional Facility? Inukashi, the stupid mutt, had to be wrong, _had to be_. '_But what if he isn't? What if at this moment Shion is getting ready to go leave for the Correctional Facility? To leave __**you**__? But you don't need anybody, right?_ Nezumi beat back the thought, Shion wasn't going to leave, and even if he did. It wouldn't be Nezumi's problem. In fact, it'd be better if he did. Then Nezumi wouldn't have to work as hard to have enough money to eat, wouldn't have to worry when he was walking through the market. _'Wouldn't have anyone to welcome you home. Wouldn't have anyone to have dinner, warm and ready, for you when you got home. Wouldn't have anyone to keep the loneliness and nightmares away. Yeah you'd be better off alright.'_

Before Nezumi could respond - though how would he respond, how could he? - wind rushed around him, through him. And a song, like a dream, one he had almost forgotten.

_"Daichi yo, amekaze yo, ten yo, hikari yo*..."_

Nezumi gasped, his legs unable to hold him anymore, he had never felt weakness like this. From far away he heard Inukashi's voice, panicked but weak, calling out to him, demanding to know what was happening. Inukashi collapsed and then Nezumi knew no more.

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><p>From within her darkened bakery Karan sighed, setting the last of the newly cleaned trays onto the bench, she flicked off the lights and moved toward the staircase that would take her to her small home above the bakery. It didn't seem so small anymore though; in fact it felt far too large without Shion's happy presence there to warm it. Shaking her head, Karan dismissed the thought. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't cry again, not until she had her son safe in her arms once more. Karan had only placed her foot on the first step when the glass on the bakery door exploded inwards, wind rushing over her, around her, consuming her. And words, from a song. The most beautiful song she had ever heard.<p>

"_Koko ni subete o todomete, koko ni subete o todome, koko de ikite*…"_

Warm air and that echoing song was the last thing's Karan was aware of before she fell into darkness.

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><p>From within his plush room, Rikiga paced. A bottle of whiskey hung from his hand as he strode from one end of the room to the other. Worry for Shion, fear at what he might do because of the jacket and anger at himself for being the one to take Shion to the shop that had held it raged within him. With a sigh Rikiga allowed himself to sag onto the bed, the nearly empty bottle of whiskey being brought to his lips then he tossed the, now empty, bottle aside and fell back to lay on the bed.<p>

"Hoo boy, what am I gonna do?" He scrubbed a hand across his face, "Shion's gonna get into trouble, I just know it… Maybe I should talk to Eve* and the dog brat about keepin' an eye on Shion. Just for a little bit." Even as his face twisted in disgust at the thought of going near that phony Eve, Rikiga began planning how to get both of them away from Shion. Then an unholy gale of wind burst in through the window, smothering him. Echoing around him like the tolling of some great bell was a song. A song unlike any other, the closest thing he could compare it to was the sound of Eve singing. Even through his panic he could hear the words clearly.

"_Tamashii yo, kokoro yo, ai yo, omoi yo*__…__"_

Rikiga didn't even have time to gasp before the darkness consumed him.

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><p>Despite what that bastard Nezumi thought, Inukashi wasn't actually an idiot. Yeah Inukashi might not have a bunch of books written by dead guys that no one really cares about anymore, but Inukashi <em>did<em> have his dogs. And dogs are good for more than just attacking or being personal heaters. Dogs could sense things, things no human could. And Inukashi's dogs told him that Shion should be dead. That he stunk of some kind of, not poison, but something –almost a kind of venom- and those eyes and his hair, even his strange scar. All of them were apparently because of the same not-venom that he stunk of, that had been why he hadn't been surprised when Shion had explained about the parasitic bees to Rikiga and him.

Inukashi didn't bother denying that he had been worried for Shion when he explained that if it wasn't for the rat bastard he would be dead, even though Inukashi believed you should only look out for yourself, he couldn't stop himself from caring for Shion. He was like one of Inukashi's dog's pups, young and weak and curious. Sniffing around and sticking his nose into everything because he hadn't been taught not to yet. But as long as the bees stayed in No.6 and Inukashi had food and money, Inukashi didn't really care much about what happened with them.

Still, he had been worried about what Shion might do once he and that pervert Rikiga had come to see him asking about the Correctional Facility, so he had gone to speak to Nezumi. And it had been surprising, seeing Nezumi, who would rather die than show emotion, stare at him with barely concealed fear. Fear that wasn't for himself, not really, but for _Shion _though Inukashi felt like it shouldn't of surprised him, Shion _made_ people care, about him, about each other. Inukashi turned to leave, he had said his message and now he wanted to go home, when wind whipped around both of them and Nezumi gasped. Weakness unlike any other filled Inukashi as Nezumi started to fall. Desperately Inukashi called out to him but his voice was weak and Inukashi fell. The words of the song ringing in his mind.

"_Koko ni kaeri, koko ni todomatte*.._."

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><p>The four humans floated in Her arms, cradled against Her chest as She began to speak. "<em>My child, this is My gift to you. To you and your companions, those who stand by you or will stand by you. All of you're joined together through fate and will change the world<em>_…__ However My child, I have seen what will happen and wish to share it with you_."

She sensed Her child's confusion mixed with fearful awe and tentative love, "_Yes My heart, all your questions will be answered. You will awaken in a place outside of time. Time will go neither forward or back until it is time for your return. Do you understand?"_

Elyurias felt bursts of understanding from all of the precious humans She held and allowed them to feel her love and pride. "_Good luck, Niyol, you will need it__…__"_

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><p>With a choking gasp, as if resurfacing from a deep pool of water, Nezumi woke up. Sitting bolt upright even as the three other figures stirred, Nezumi heard the Elyurias-sama's - and it had to be Her, only She would of known his name for <em>before<em> - words echo through his mind. '"_Joined together through fate"? What does that __**mean**__?'_

While these thoughts had been running through Nezumi's mind the other occupants of the room had woken and now began to take in the surroundings. It was Rikiga who broke the silence with a loud cry of, "Karan! You're here!" He flung himself at the bewildered woman, hugging her gently. Inukashi sneered at the display, wondered briefly who 'Karan' was and why her name sounded familiar and turned away to study the room. Large, with four separate futons and two doors, both open one showing a bathroom and the other a kitchen. But what drew Inukashi's eyes was the pile of small books, sitting on the kotatsu. A folded piece of paper rested atop them. Inukashi staked forward and grabbed the letter, ripping it open. His eye started twitching when he finally read it,

'_Read the books. First to last.'_

"Well, what does it say?"

Inukashi turned around and glared at Nezumi, hiding his surprise at being snuck up on. "What rat bastard, can't you read?" The question was biting and sarcastic and Nezumi's eye's narrowed.

"_I_ can. I just didn't know if _you_ could. After all you were raised by a bunch of mongrels. I wonder," He plastered an innocent expression on his face, "What is a person who's raised by dogs? A person or a mutt?"

"Are you saying something about my mother? Huh?"

Before Nezumi could respond a new voice broke in. "Excuse me but…who _are_ you?"

Even before the woman opened her mouth Nezumi knew who she was. Shion had clearly gotten her curiosity from his mother if the way Karan was looking at them now was any clue. Before Nezumi could open his mouth to say – '_Say what? I'm sorry that your son is away from you and living with me where you can't touch him or see him but I'm not sorry because if he were with you he wouldn't be with me.' –_ Rikiga began speaking,

"As you know dear Karan, I am Rikiga, The dark-haired brat is Inukashi and the other one is Eve but he's a phony. You should stay away from him."

As one Nezumi and Inukashi frowned. Inukashi stalked forward and smacked Rikiga, "If the lady needs to stay away from anyone it's you, pervert." He turned to the startled woman, "So who the hell are you?"

Nezumi stayed silent, unable to think of a single thing to say to the woman whose life he ruined, when Rikiga spoke again. "Inukashi you brat! You should have more respect for Karan! And anyway, Karan is Shion's mother, can't you tell from her beautiful face. Her and Shion look so alike." Inukashi jerked, suddenly intense eyes focused on Karan.

"Heh, what do ya know? You do look like the airhead. Oi, Nezumi, get yur ass over here." Both Karan and Nezumi jerked, Karan spun around to stare, wide-eyed, at Nezumi and finally, _finally_, Nezumi could move, could speak.

"Hello Karan…it's good to finally meet you…"

Karan began to tremble and a shaky smile spread across her face, "Y-You're Nezumi?" She reached out and pulled Nezumi against her chest, "Thank you. Thank you so, so much."

Nezumi froze, arms hanging loosely and stared down at Karan. '_Why…? Why is she…? Holding me like this… Doesn't she blame me? I'm the reason she lost her comfortable life. The reason why she has to work to survive.'_ Nezumi slowly brought his arms up to wrap awkwardly around Karan's trembling shoulders. "Why…?" His voice broke, "Why are you thanking me?"

Karan pulled her face away from his chest and smiled brilliantly, "You saved him, my Shion. You saved him. I can't ever thank you enough."

"He saved me first." The words were intimate, only to be shared between the two of them. The two people who loved Shion the most. The moment was shattered by Inukashi's uncomfortable voice.

"So what are we gonna do about these?"

The three turned to Inukashi who still stood by the kotatsu. Nezumi and Karan separated and Rikiga moved to lean over Inukashi, reading the note still held within his hands. "It just says that we should read those books," Rikiga noted.

The four exchanged looks and Karan shrugged, "It wouldn't hurt, would it?" Mummers of agreement rang out from the other three and slowly they settled themselves at the kotatsu. Karan gently lifted up the first book, emblazed on the cover was an image of a boy's silhouette running towards what looked like No.6's Moondrop, the word, 'NO.6' written above it.

"Shall I start?" Upon hearing no disagreement Karan opened the book, "Book One, Chapter One. Nezumi, Dripping Wet,

"**Nezumi was in a tunnel. In the darkness, he drew a quiet breath. The air smelled faintly of moist dirt. He inched his way forward carefully. The tunnel was small. It was just big enough for Nezumi to squeeze through, and it was dark. Light was nowhere to be seen, but it soothed his soul. He liked dark and small spaces. I these spaces, no large living things could come to capture him. Momentary relief and tranquillity. There was a dull pain from the wound on his shoulder,"**

Nezumi twitched, '_So it's that day…'_ His fist clenched, '_So I'll find out if you really don't regret saving me, huh Shion?'_

Privately Inukashi wondered about the book. It was clear that the 'Nezumi' that had been written about was the same one in front of him, but Inukashi couldn't see how the Nezumi siting across from him could be the same one I the book.

"**-but it wasn't enough to concern him. The problem, rather, was with the amount of blood he had lost. The wound wasn't deep. It had only grazed a little bit of his shoulder. By now, the blood should of begun clotting and closed the open wound. But the wound was still… He felt a warm and slippery sensation. It was still bleeding.**

_**Anticoagulant. They had coated the bullet with it.**_

**Nezumi bit his lip. He wanted to stop his bleeding. Thrombin, or aluminium salt. No, not even so much as that. At least, clean water to wash his wound.**

**His legs buckled. Dizziness overcame him.**

_**Not good.**_

**Fainting from lack of blood, maybe. If it was, that would be bad. Soon, he wouldn't be able to move at all."**

Karan's mind and heart raced. Nezumi, the mysterious being whose name her sons would whisper in his sleep and who had saved her son from imprisonment was, according to the book, in severe danger. Karan knew, logically, that Nezumi was fine. He was sitting beside her after all, the heat from his body warming her side. She took in a deep breath and continued to read.

"_**But maybe I wouldn't mind.**_

**He heard a voice inside him.**

**Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to curl up, unable to move, shrouded in damp darkness. He would nod off to sleep, a long sleep – and peaceful death. It wouldn't hurt, not that much. I might feel a little cold.**

Inukashi froze, he couldn't believe that, Nezumi who irritated and annoyed him, had thought about giving up, of laying down and dying. It seemed so impossible.

"**No, that would be taking it too lightly. His blood pressure wold plummet, he would have trouble breathing, his limbs would be paralysed…of course is wouldn't be painless.**

_**I want to sleep.**_

**He was tired. Cold. Hurting. Unable to move. He only had to suffer for a little while, he told himself. Stay still, rather then struggle fruitlessly. There may be people pursuing him, but none who would rescue him."**

Nezumi's lips twitched, his mind conjuring up an image of Shion, both as a child and as he was now, _'Guess I was wrong about that. There was someone who had saved him.'_

"**Then, he should just put an end to living. Curl up here, and just go to sleep. Just give up.**

**His feet continued forward. His hands ran along the walls. Nezumi gave a forced smile. His voice was telling him to give up, but his body still doggedly carried on. How troublesome it all was.**

_**An hour left. No, thirty minutes.**_

**Thirty minutes was the time limit for any free movement he had. In that time, he had to stop his bleeding, and secure a spot to rest. The bare requirements to keep living.**

**There was movement in the air. The darkness before him was gradually becoming lighter. He took each step painstakingly. He emerged from his dark and narrow side-tunnel to a wider area surrounded by white concrete walls. Nezumi knew this was part of a sewer tunnel that had been in use until ten and some-odd years ago, the end of the twentieth century. Contrary to the ground above, No. 6's underground facilities were not very well-maintained. Much of it had been left in the same state as they were from the last century. This sewer tunnel was just another one of those, abandoned and forgotten. Nezumi couldn't have asked for a better environment. He closed his eyes and visualised the map of No. 6 that he had extracted from the computer.**

**There was a good chance that this was the abandoned route K0210. If it was, then it should extend close to the high-income residence area called Chronos. Of course, it could very well also lead to a dead end. But if he had decided to live, then moving forward was his only option. Nezumi in his current state had neither choice nor time to deliberate.**

**The air shifted. It wasn't the stale dampness of before, but fresh air carrying plenty of moisture. He remembered that it was raining hard up above. The passage was definitely connected to the upper world.**

**Nezumi inhaled, and smelled the scent of rain.**

**September 7, 2013 was my twelfth birthday. On this day, a tropical low pressure-system, or hurricane, that had developed a week ago off the south-western area of the North Pacific Ocean, made its way north, gathering power, until it hit us directly in the city of No. 6.**

**It was the best present I had ever gotten. I was filled with excitement. It was only past four in the afternoon, but it was already getting dark. The trees in the yard bowed in the winds as leaves and small braches were torn off. I loved the clamorous noise they made. It was the bare opposite of this neighbourhood's usual atmosphere, which hardly involved any loudness.**

**My mother preferred small trees over flowers, through her enthusiastic planting of almond, camellia and maple trees all over the place, our yard had grown into a small grove. But thanks to that, the noise today was unlike any other. Each tree made a different groaning sound. Torn leaves and branches smacked against the window, plastered to them, but then were whipped away again. Time and time again, gusts of wind burst against the window.**

**I ****itched to open it. Even strong winds like these were not enough to crack the shatter-resistant glass, and in this atmosphere-controlled room, humidity and temperature remained stable and unchanged. That was why I wanted to open the window. Open it, and bring in the air, the wind, the rain, a change from the usual.**

**"Shion," called Mother's voice from the intercom. "I hope you're not thinking of opening the window."**

**"I'm not."**

**"Good... did you hear? The lower lands of the West Block are flooding. Terrible, isn't it?"**

**She didn't sound like she felt terrible at all.**

**Outside No. 6, the land was divided into four blocks ― East, West, North and South. Most of the East and South blocks were farmland or grazing pastures. They provided for 60% of all plant-made foods and 50% of animal food products. In the north, there was an expanse of deciduous forest and mountains, under complete conservation by the Central Administration Committee.**

**Without the Committee's permission, none could enter the area. Not that anyone would want to wander into the wilderness, which was completely unmaintained.**

**In the centre of the city there was an enormous forest park that took up more than a sixth of the city's total area. In it, one could experience the seasonal changes and interact with the hundreds of species of small animals and insects that inhabited it.**

**A vast majority of the citizens were content with the wildlife inside the park. I didn't like it much. I especially disliked the City Hall building that loomed in the centre of the park. It went five stories underground and ten stories above, and was shaped like a dome. No. 6 had no skyscrapers, so maybe "looming" was a little exaggerated. Nevertheless, it gave off an ominous feeling. Some people called it The Moondrop from its round, white shape, but I thought it resembled more of a round blister on the skin. A blister that had erupted in the centre of the city.**

'_So Shion, you were already fighting against the chains No. 6 had wrapped around you… A blister, huh? The name suits it.'_

**As if to surround it, the city hospital and Safety Bureau building stood close by, and were connected with pathways that looked like gas pipes. Surrounding that was a green forest. The forest park, a place of peace and tranquillity for the good citizens. All the plants and animals that inhabited this place were minutely monitored, and all flowers, fruits and small creatures of each area in every season were thoroughly recorded.**

**Citizens could find out the best time and place to watch or gaze at these through the city's service system. Obedient, perfected nature. But even it would be raging on a day like this. It was, after all, a hurricane.**

**A branch with green leaves still attached smacked into the window. A gust of wind followed, and its roar resonated for some time. At least, I thought I could hear it resonate. The soundproof glass cut me off from any outside noise. I wanted the window out of my way. I wanted to hear, to feel, the raging wind. Almost without thinking, I threw the window open. The wind, the rain, came blowing in. The wind rumbled as if coming from deep within the earth. It was a roar I hadn't heard in a long time. I too, raised my own hands and let out a yell. It would scatter on the storming winds, and reach no one's ears. Yet still I shouted, with no meaning. Raindrops flew into my throat. I knew I was being childish, but I couldn't stop. It began raining harder. How exciting it would be to take off all my clothes and burst out into the rain. I tried to imagine myself naked, running around in the torrential storm. I would definitely be declared insane. But it was an irresistible temptation. I opened my mouth wide again, and swallowed the droplets. I wanted to repress this strange impulse. I was afraid of what lurked inside me. At times, I find I'm overwhelmed by a tumultuous, savage surge of emotions.**

_**Break it.**_

_**Destroy it.**_

_**Destroy what?**_

_**Everything.**_

_**Everything?**_

**There was a mechanical warning sound. It was notifying me that the atmospheric conditions in the room were deteriorating. Eventually, the window would close and lock automatically. Dehumidification and temperature control would commence, and all wet things in the room, including me, would be dried instantly. I wiped my dripping face on the curtain and made my way to the door to turn the air control system off.**

**What if, at that moment, I had obeyed the warning sound? Sometimes, I still wonder about it. If I had closed the window, and chosen to stay in the adequately dry comfort of my room, my life would have been entirely different.**

Almost overwhelming panic flowed through Nezumi, _did_ Shion regret it? Regret leaving his window open. Regret letting him in, healing him and giving him food and shelter. What would Nezumi do if Shion _did_ regret it?

**It wasn't regret, not anything like that.**

Nezumi almost sighed in relief, he didn't regret. Thank Kami.

**It was just a peculiar thought. The one thing that changed my whole world, so meticulously controlled up until now, happened from that one small coincidence ― that on September 7, 2013, on a stormy day, I by chance had opened the window. It was a very peculiar thought.**

**And though I don't have a particular God I believe in, there are times when I do feel a certain conviction toward the term 'Divine Hand'.**

**I turned the switch off. The warning sound stopped. A sudden silence fell over the room.**

_**Heh.**_

**I heard a faint laugh behind me. Instinctively I whirled around, and gave a small cry. There was a boy standing there, soaking wet. It took me a while to realize that he was a boy. He had shoulder-length hair that almost hid his small face. His neck and arms that protruded from his short-sleeved shirt were thin. I couldn't tell whether he was a boy or a girl, whether he was very young or older than he looked. My eyes and conscience were too focused on his left shoulder, which was stained red, to think about anything else.**

**It was the colour of blood. I had never seen anyone bleeding as profusely as he was. Instinctively I was extending my hand out to him. The intruder's figure vanished at my fingertips. At the same time, I felt an impact, and I was slammed against the wall with a strong force. I felt an icy sensation on my neck. They were fingers, five of them, closing around my throat.**

**"Don't move," he said.**

**He was shorter than me. Choked from below, I strained to get a look at his eyes. They were a dark, yet at the same time, light, grey. I'd never seen a colour like that before. His fingers clenched. He didn't look strong at all, yet I was completely unable to move. It wasn't something a normal person could do.**

**"I see," I managed to gasp. "You're used to doing this."**

"Wait. You," Inukashi pointed at Nezumi, "Have your hand around Shion's throat, and he's _complimenting_ you?" He shook his head, "Jeeze he's such an airheaded idiot."

"Eve!" Rikiga roared, "How could you attack Shion?!"

Karan however had turned to Nezumi, horrified. "You _strangled_ him?!" Nezumi flinched, cringing away from Karan's horrified whisper.

"I didn't really hurt him…"

Karan forced the hysterical rage down, yes Shion was her son but Nezumi had shown that he did care for him. This had happened years ago, it was over. Shion was fine. "It's alright. Le-Let me, just keep reading…

"**The pair of grey eyes were unblinking. Their gaze still fixed, they grew calm like the gentle surface of the ocean, and I could read no colour of menace, fear or murderous intent from them. They were very quiet eyes. I could feel my own panic subsiding.**

**"I'll treat your wound," I said, licking my lips. "You're hurt, aren't you? I'll treat it."**

**I could see myself reflected in the intruder's eyes. For a moment, I felt like I would get sucked into them. I averted my gaze and looked down, and repeated myself.**

**"I'll treat the wound. We have to stop the bleeding. Treat. You understand what I'm saying, right?"**

**The grip around my neck loosened slightly.**

**"Shion."**

**My mother's voice carried over from the intercom. "You have the window open, don't you."**

**I sucked in a breath. I felt alright. It was alright, I reassured myself. I could talk with a normal voice.**

**"The window? ... Oh, yeah, it's open."**

**"You'll catch a cold if you don't close it."**

**"I know."**

**I could hear my mother laughing on the other end.**

**"You're turning twelve today and you're still acting like a little boy."**

**"Okay, I get it ... Oh, mom?"**

**"What?"**

**"I have a report to write. Can you leave me alone for a bit?"**

**"A report? Hasn't your Gifted Curriculum just started?"**

**"Huh? Oh... well, I have a lot of assignments to do."**

**"I see... don't overwork yourself. Come downstairs at dinnertime."**

**Cold fingers drew away from my throat. My body was free. I stretched my hand out to restart the air control system. I made sure to leave the security system off. If I didn't, it would detect the intruder as a foreign presence, and would set off a piercing alarm. If the person was recognized as a legitimate resident of No. 6 that wouldn't happen, but I couldn't imagine that this soaking intruder would have a citizenship.**

**The window closed, and warm air began to circulate in the room. The grey-eyed intruder half-collapsed into a kneel, and leaned against the bed. He let out a long, deep breath. He was weakened considerably. I took out the emergency kit. First I took his pulse, then tore his shirt open, and started cleaning the wound.**

**"This..."**

**I couldn't help but stare. I wasn't familiar with this type of injury. It had carved out a shallow ridge in the flesh of his shoulder joint.**

**"A bullet wound?"**

**"Yeah." It was a casual answer. "It just missed. What's your term for this? A graze wound?"**

**"I'm no specialist. I'm still a student."**

**"Of the Gifted Curriculum?"**

**"Starting next month."**

**"Wow. High IQ, huh?"**

**There was a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. I lifted my gaze from his wound, and looked him in the eye.**

**"Are you making fun of me?"**

**"Making fun of? When I'm being treated by you? Never. So what's your specialization?"**

**I told him I specialized in ecology. I had just been accepted into the Gifted Curriculum. Ecology. It had the least to do with how to treat a bullet wound. My first experience. It was a little exciting. Let's see, what do I have to do first? Disinfect, dress ... oh yes, I had to stop the bleeding.**

**"What are you doing?"**

**He stared as I took a syringe out of the disinfecting kit, and swallowed.**

**"Local anaesthesia. Alright, here goes."**

**"Wait, wait a minute. You're gonna freeze it, and then what?"**

**"Sew it."**

**Supposedly I had said this with such a grin that I looked like I couldn't have been enjoying myself more. It was something I found out much later on.**

**"Sew it! Can you get any more primitive than that?"**

**"This isn't a hospital. I don't have state-of-the-art facilities, and besides, I think a bullet wound is pretty primitive itself."**

**The crime rate in the city was infinitely close to zero. The city was safe, and there was no need for the average citizen to carry a gun. If they did, it would only be for hunting. Twice a year, rules were lifted for hunting season. Olden-day firearms slung over their shoulders, hobbyists would venture into the northern mountains. Mother didn't like them. She said she didn't understand how people could kill animals for enjoyment, and she wasn't the only one. In periodic censuses, 70% of citizens expressed discomfort at hunting as a form of sport. Killing poor innocent animals―how violent, how cruel...**

**But the bleeding figure in front of me was no fox or deer. It was a human.**

**"I can't believe it," I muttered to myself.**

**"Believe what?"**

**"That there are people who'll shoot at other people... unless... don't tell me that someone from the hunting club shot you by mistake?"**

**His lip curled. He was smiling.**

**"Hunting club, huh. Well, I guess you can call them that. But they didn't shoot by mistake."**

**"They knew they were shooting at a human? That's against the law."**

**"Is it? Instead of a fox, they just happened to be hunting a human. A manhunt. I don't think it's against the law."**

**"What do you mean?"**

**"That there are hunters, and the hunted."**

**"I don't get what you're talking about."**

**"I figured you wouldn't. You don't need to understand. So are you seriously going to give me a needle? Don't you have spray-on anaesthetic or something?"**

**"I've always wanted to try giving a needle."**

**I disinfected the wound, and applied the anaesthetic with three injections around the wounded area. My hands shook a little from nerves, but somehow it went smoothly.**

**"It should start getting numb soon, and then―"**

**"You're gonna sew it."**

**"Yeah."**

**"Do you have any experience?"**

**"Of course not. I'm not going into medicine. But I do have basic knowledge of vessel suturing. I saw it in a video."**

**"Basic knowledge, huh..."**

**He drew a deep breath, and looked at me directly in the face. He had thin, bloodless lips, hollowed cheeks, and pale parched skin. He had the face of someone who had not lived a decent life. He really did look like an animal prey who had been chased relentlessly, exhausted, with no place left to run. But his eyes were different. They were emotionless, but I could feel a fierce power emanating from them. Was it vitality? I wondered. I had never met anyone in my life with eyes as memorable as those. And those eyes were staring unblinkingly at me.**

**"You're strange."**

**"Why would you say that?"**

**"You haven't even asked for my name."**

**"Oh, yeah. But I haven't introduced myself either."**

**"****Shion****, right? Like the flower?"**

**"Yeah. My mother likes trees and wildflowers. How about you?"**

**"****Nezumi****."**

**"Huh?"**

**"My name."**

**"Nezumi... that's not it."**

**"Not what?"**

**That eye colour wasn't that of any rat. It was something more elegant. Like... the sky just before the crack of dawn ― didn't it look like that? I blushed, embarrassed at catching myself spouting off like some lame poet. I purposefully raised my voice.**

**"Right, here goes."**

**Remember the basic steps of the suture, I told myself. Set down two or three stable threads, and use them as support threads to make a continuous suture ... this must be conducted with utmost care and precision ... in the case of a continuous suture...**

**My fingers trembled. Nezumi watched my fingertips in silence. I was nervous, but a little excited too. I was putting what used to be just textbook knowledge into action. It was exhilarating.**

**Suture complete. I pressed a piece of clean gauze onto the wound. A bead of sweat slid down my forehead.**

**"So you **_**are**_** smart."**

**Nezumi's forehead was also damp with perspiration.**

**"I'm just good with my hands."**

**"Not just your hands. That brain of yours. You're only twelve, right? And you're going into the Gifted Curriculum of the highest educational institution. You're super elite."**

**This time, there was no tinge of sarcasm. Nor any hint of awe. I silently put away the soiled gauze and instruments. **

**Ten years ago, I was ranked highest in the city's intelligence examination for two-year-olds. The city provides anyone who ranks highest in skill or athletic ability with the best education they could wish for. Until the age of ten, I attended classes in an environment outfitted with the latest facilities amongst other classmates like myself. Under the eye of a roster of expert instructors, we were given a solid and thorough education of the basics, after which we were each provided with our own set of instructors to move into a field of specialization that was suited for us. From the day that I was recognized as the highest ranker, my future was promised to me. It was unshakable. No small force could make it crumble. At least, that was how it was supposed to be.**

**"Looks like a comfortable bed," Nezumi murmured, still leaning against it.**

**"You can use it. But change first."**

**I dumped a clean shirt, a towel, and a box of antibiotics into Nezumi's lap. And then, on a whim, I decided to make cocoa. I had enough basic cooking appliances in my room to make a warm drink or two.**

**"Not exactly fashionable, is it?" Nezumi sniffed as he plucked at the plaid shirt.**

**"Better than a dirty shirt that's ripped and covered in blood, if you ask me."**

**I passed him a steaming mug of cocoa. For the first time this evening, I saw what looked like a flicker of emotion in his grey eyes. Pleasure. Nezumi sipped a mouthful and murmured softly―good.**

**"It's good. Better than your suturing."**

**"It's not fair to compare like that. I think it went pretty well for my first try."**

**"Are you always like that?"**

**"Huh?"**

**"Do you always leave yourself wide open? Or is it normal for all you Petri-dish elites to have zero sense of danger?" Nezumi continued, holding the mug in both hands. "You guys can get along just fine without feeling any danger or fear toward intruders, huh?"**

**"I do feel danger. And fear, too. I'm afraid of dangerous things and I don't want anything to do with them. I'm also not naive enough to believe that someone who comes in through my second-floor window is a respectable citizen."**

**"Then why?"**

All of them leant forward, interested despite themselves. Why _had _Shion helped Nezumi? What reason could he have to help Nezumi?

**He was right. Why? Why was I treating this intruder's wound, and even giving him hot cocoa? I was no cold-blooded monster. But I also wasn't teeming in compassion and goodwill enough to extend a hand to anyone who was injured. I was no saint. I hated dealing with hassles and disagreements. But I'd taken this intruder in. If the city authorities found out, I would be in trouble. They might see me as someone lacking in sound judgment. If that happened...**

**My eyes met with a pair of grey ones. I felt like I could see a hint of laughter in them. Like they could see right through me, everything I was thinking, and laughing at me. I clenched my stomach and glared back at him.**

**"If you were some big, aggressive man, I would have set the alarm off right then and there. But you were short, and looked like a girl, and was about to fall over. So... So I decided to treat you. And..."**

**"And?"**

_**And your eyes were a strange colour that I'd never seen before. And they drew me in.**_

**"And... I wanted to actually see what sewing a vessel was like."**

**Nezumi shrugged, and drained the rest of his cocoa. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he ran a palm across the bedsheets.**

**"Can I really go to sleep?"**

**"Sure."**

**"Thank you."**

**Those were the first words of gratitude I'd heard since he had come into my room.**

**Mother was sitting on the couch in the living room, engrossed in the flat-screen television mounted on the wall. She noticed me coming in, and pointed at the screen. A female newscaster with long, straight hair was broadcasting a warning to all of the residents of Chronos.**

**A convict had escaped from the Correctional Facility in the West Block, was last seen fleeing into the Chronos area. With regards to the hurricane as well, the area was to be put in a lockdown that night. Everyone in the area, excluding special cases, was forbidden to go outside of their homes.**

**Nezumi's face appeared on the screen. Underneath, the words "VC103221" floated up in the red letters.**

"**VC…"**

**I lifted a spoonful of cherry cake into my mouth. Every year without fail, Mother baked a cherry cake for my birthday. It was because Father had bought home a cherry cake on the day I was born.**

**From what Mother said, my father was a hopeless case who indulged lavishly in money-spending and women, but above all, the bottle,"**

Inukashi and Nezumi both turned to study Rikiga, who stared back at them in confusion before blurting out, "No! No! I'm not Shion's father! I was stuck in West Block before Shion was even uh," He blushed and scratched his cheek, "Umm, conceived."

Karan interrupted then, "Rikiga is right, he isn't Shion's father." She sighed gently, " I'm not sure where Shion's father is anymore."

– **he was just a step away from being an alcoholic. He had come home one day, in his drunkenness having bought cherry cakes – three of them – that were so good she couldn't help but remember their taste every time September 7****th**** rolled around.**

**My parents divorced two months after the cherry cake. So unfortunately, I have no memory of my hopeless case of a father who was one step away from an alcoholic. But it was no inconvenience. After being snagged as a top ranker, Mother and I received the right to live in Chronos, along with complete insurance of our living conditions, including this modest but well-outfitted house. There was no inconvenience at all.**

**"I just remembered, the yard's security system is still turned off. No harm in leaving it off, right?"**

**Mother raised herself slowly. She had gained a lot of weight recently, and it seemed like an effort for her to move.**

**"It's such a pain in the neck, that thing. Even a cat jumping over the fence sets the alarm off, and people from the Security Bureau come every single time to check. What a hassle."**

**Almost as if in correlation with her gaining weight, she had started to call things "a pain in the neck" more and more often.**

**"But look at him, he's still so young. A VC... I wonder what he's done."**

**VC. The V Chip. It was short for Violence-Chip, and was originally a term used in America for a semiconductor that was used to censor television content. With this chip, you could set the television not to display violent or disturbing scenes. If I remembered correctly, this term was first used in the 1996 revision of the Telecommunications Act.**

**But in No. 6, the term VC carried a heavier meaning. Perpetrators of murder, attempted murder, robbery, assault and other violent crime were subject to having this chip planted inside their body. This enabled computers to track every location, condition and even emotional fluctuations of the convict. VC was a term we used for violent criminals.**

_**But how did he take the chip out?**_

**If the VC was still inside his body, his location could be instantly pinpointed with the city's tracking system. It should have been easily possible to arrest him without any citizens noticing. To make news of his escape public, and to enforce a lock-down would only mean that they hadn't been able to find his location.**

_**Could that bullet wound have...? No, that can't be.**_

**I'd never seen a bullet wound on a human before, but I could tell it definitely came from being shot at a distance. If he had blown the chip off himself along with the flesh of his shoulder, he would have had a more serious wound, with burns and all. Much more serious.**

**"Rather dull, isn't it? A shame, since it's your special day."**

**Mother sighed as she sprinkled parsley flakes into the pot of stew sitting on the table. "Dull" was another word Mother used more often these days.**

**Mother and I were very similar. We were both a little over-sensitive, and didn't like to socialize much. The people around us were nice, so nice there was nothing bad to say about them. My classmates, the citizens around us, were genial, intelligent, and minded their manners. No one raised their voice to insult anyone, or treated people with hostility. There were no strange or devious people. Everyone kept up such meticulously healthy lifestyles that even slightly plump figures like my mother's were rare. In this peaceful, stable and uniform world where everyone looked the same, my mother grew fatter, every other word "a pain in the neck" or "dull"; and I began to find the presence of other people oppressing.**

_**Break it.**_

_**Destroy it.**_

_**Destroy what?**_

_**Everything.**_

_**Everything?**_

**The spoon slid out of my hand and clattered to the floor.**

**"What's wrong? You were miles away."**

**Mother peered inquisitively at me. Her round face broke into a smile.**

**"That's rare of you, Shion, spacing out like that. Want me to disinfect that spoon?"**

**"Oh, no. It's no big deal," I smiled back at her. My heart was racing so fast it was hard to breathe. I gulped down the mineral water in one go. Bullet wounds, blood, VC, grey eyes. What were all these things? They had never existed in my world until now. What business did they have, so suddenly intruding into my life?**

**I had a fleeting premonition. A feeling that a great change was coming. Just like a virus that enters a cell and mutates it or destroys it altogether, I had a feeling that this impostor would upset the world I lived in, and destroy it entirely.**

**"Shion? Really, what's gotten into you?"**

**Mother peered into my face again, her expression concerned.**

**"Sorry, mom. That report is bothering me. I'm gonna eat in my room," I lied, and stood up.**

**"Don't turn on the light."**

**A low voice commanded me, as soon as I entered the room. I didn't like the dark, so I usually left the lights on. But now it was pitch-black.**

**"I can't see anything."**

**"You don't need to."**

**But if I couldn't see, I couldn't move. I stood helplessly, with the stew and cherry cake in my hands.**

**"Something smells good."**

**"I brought stew and cherry cake."**

**I heard a whistle of appreciation in the dark.**

**"Want some?"**

**"Of course."**

**"You're gonna eat it in the dark?"**

**"Of course."**

**I carefully inched my foot forward. I could hear a quiet snicker.**

**"Can't even find your way in your own room?"**

**"I don't happen to be nocturnal, thanks. Can you see in the dark?"**

**"I'm a rat. Of course I can."**

**"VC 103221."**

**In the darkness, I could sense Nezumi freeze.**

**"You were all over the news. Famous."**

**"Hah. Don't I look so much better in real life? Hey, this cake is good."**

**My eyes were getting used to the darkness. I sat on the bed, and squinted at Nezumi.**

**"Can you get away alright?"**

**"Of course."**

**"What did you do with the chip?"**

**"It's still inside me."**

**"Want me to take it out?"**

**"Surgery again? No thanks."**

**"But..."**

**"It doesn't matter. That thing is useless now anyway."**

**"What do you mean?"**

**"The VC is just a toy. Disabling it is like a piece of cake."**

**"A toy, huh."**

**"Yup, a toy. And let me tell you something, this city itself is like a toy, too. A cheap toy that's pretty only on the outside."**

**Nezumi had polished off the stew and cake. He gave a sigh of content.**

**"So you're confident that you're going to escape when the city's on high-alert?"**

**"Of course."**

**"But there's a strict security check for trespassers who aren't registered. There's an entire system in place throughout this area for people like that."**

**"You think so? This city's system isn't as perfect as you think it is. It's full of holes."**

**"How can you say that?"**

**"Because I'm not part of the system. You've all been programmed nicely to believe that this holey fake mess is the perfect utopia. Or, no, maybe that's what you guys want to believe."**

**"I don't."**

**"Huh?"**

**"I don't think this place is perfect."**

**The words tumbled out of my mouth. Nezumi fell silent. In front of me, there was only an expanse of darkness. I couldn't feel his presence at all. He was right, he was like a rat. A nocturnal rodent, hidden in the darkness.**

**"You're strange," he said quietly, in a voice even lower than before.**

**"Really?"**

**"You are. That's not something for a super elite to say. Aren't you in trouble if the authorities find out?"**

**"Yeah. Big trouble."**

**"You just took in an escaped VC and didn't report it to the Bureau...If they find that out, that's even bigger trouble. They're not gonna let you off easily."**

**"I know."**

**Nezumi suddenly grabbed my arm. His thin fingers dug into my flesh.**

**"Do you really? I mean, it's not my problem what happens to you, but if you end up being wiped out because of me, I wouldn't like that. I'd feel like I did something horrible..."**

**"That's considerate of you."**

**"Mama always told me, 'don't cause trouble for other people," he said lightly.**

**"Then are you gonna leave?"**

**"No. I'm tired, and there's a hurricane outside. And I've finally got a bed. I'll sleep here."**

**"Make up your mind."**

**"Papa always told me to separate my public manners from my private feelings."**

**"Sounds like a great father."**

**His fingers withdrew from my arm.**

**"I guess I was lucky that you were strange," Nezumi said softly.**

**"Nezumi?"**

**"Hm?"**

**"How did you get to Chronos?"**

**"Not telling."**

**"Did you break out of the Correctional Facility and get into the city? Is that even possible?"**

**"Of course it's possible. But I didn't get into No. 6 on my own. Someone let me in. Not like I wanted to come here, though."**

**"Let you in?"**

**"Yup. I was being escorted, you might say."**

**"Escorted? By the police? To where?"**

Rikiga, Inukashi and Karan leant forward, curiosity welling up within them. Where was Nezumi being taken?

**The Correctional Facility was located in the West Block, a high-security zone. Anyone who wanted to enter No. 6 from there had to apply for permission from the bureau. Those who had special entry permits were free to go in and out, but new applicants I heard had to wait at least a month for their form to even be accepted ― and usually only less than ten percent are admitted. The number of days allowed inside the city were also severely restricted. Naturally, people began to accumulate in the West Block. More people waiting for their permits to be processed meant more accommodation and dining establishments lined the streets to serve them. Still more people poured in to work or make business there. I've never been to the West Block myself, but I've heard that it's a haphazard but lively place. The crime rate there is high. The majority of VCs that fill the cells in the Correctional Facility are residents of the West Block. Sentences ranging from one year to life are given based on age, criminal history, and the degree of violence of the crime. There is no death penalty. The West Block served as a sort of fortress that contained all people and things of criminal nature, and prevented it from entering the city. So for a VC to be escorted from there to within city walls ― where were they headed? And for what reason?**

**Nezumi crawled into bed.**

**"Probably the Moondrop."**

**"City Hall!" I exclaimed. "The centre of the city? Why?"**

**"Not telling. You probably shouldn't know, anyway."**

**"Why not?"**

"**I'm tired. Let me go to sleep."**

**"Is it something you can't tell me?"**

**"Can you guarantee that you can completely forget everything once you've heard it? Pretend you didn't hear? Outright lie that you don't know anything? You might be smart, but you're not an adult. You can't lie as well as that."**

**"I guess, but..."**

**"So don't ask me in the first place. In return, I won't tell anyone either."**

**"Huh? About what?"**

**"About how you were yelling out the window."**

**He had seen me. I could feel my face burning with embarrassment.**

**"It totally caught me off-guard. I snuck into your yard and was wondering what to do next, and suddenly the window opened and you stuck your face out."**

**"Hey, wait a minute―"**

**"I was watching for what you'd do next, and then this time you started screaming. I was caught off-guard again. I don't think I've ever seen anyone screaming with a face like―"**

**"Shut up!"**

**I lunged at Nezumi, but all I felt was the pillow as I fell on top of it. In a flash, Nezumi was up. He slid a hand under my arm, and with a quick twist, I was effortlessly flipped over onto my back. Nezumi climbed over me and pinned both my arms down with one hand. His legs straddled my hips and pressed them down hard. For an instant, I felt a tingle of numbness run through my legs all the way down to my toes. It was impressive. In the space of a split second, I had been trapped, immobilized, and pinned to my own bed. With his free hand, Nezumi spun the soup spoon around. He pressed the handle against my throat, and lightly slid it across. He crouched so that his lips were at my ear.**

**"If this was a knife," he whispered, "you would be dead."**

**A muscle in my throat twitched. Amazing.**

**"That's amazing. Is there a trick to doing that?"**

Inukashi burst into hysterical laughter, "Oh Kami, what an idiot! Nezumi you must have your hands full trying to keep that idiot from getting killed." He rested his head on his arms, still shaking with helpless laughter.

**"Huh?"**

**"How can you immobilize someone so easily? Are there special nerve points you press down or something?"**

**The force pinning me down relaxed. Nezumi sank down on top of me, trembling ― he was laughing.**

**"I can't believe this. You're hilarious. What a natural," he gasped.**

**I circled my arms around Nezumi and stuck my hands up the back of his shirt. It was hot. His burning skin was damp with sweat.**

**"I knew it...you're catching a fever. You should take those antibiotics."**

**"I'm fine... I just wanna sleep."**

**"If you don't bring your fever down it'll drain you even more. You're burning up."**

**"You're pretty warm too."**

**Nezumi gave a deep sigh, and murmured absent-mindedly.**

**"Living people are warm."**

**He became still, and not long after, I could hear quiet, measured breathing coming from him. With his feverish body still in my arms, before I knew it, I too was drifting off to sleep.**

**When I awoke the next morning, Nezumi was gone. The plaid shirt, towel, and emergency kit were gone with him."**

Slowly Karan closed the book, eyes far away, "So that's it…"

"That's what?" Rikiga inquired.

"That's what had such a great effect on Shion that he didn't even care that he'd lost his place in the Gifted Curriculum…" She turned to Nezumi, studying him. "I wonder… Do you even know how much that one night with you changed him?"

Frozen Nezumi simply stared at the woman. He couldn't think of any words. Despite the thousands of words Nezumi knew for any and every situation, he couldn't think of a thing to say to this woman. Woman who cared for Shion, loved him. Who hadn't judged him, or hated him for making her loose her comfortable life.

Thankfully Inukashi broke in then, "What are we gonna do now?" His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, shadowed eyes staring at the closed book.

"Keep reading I suppose…" Karan answered quietly. "But who should read now?"

* * *

><p><strong>A<strong>nd it's done.

The * means the following lines of 'Kaze no Requiem' -

The winds sweep away souls, and people snatch away hearts.

Oh earth, oh rain and wind, oh sky, oh light,

please harbor everything in this place. Please harbor everything in this place, and thrive in this place.

Oh souls, oh hearts, oh love, oh yearnings,

please return to this place, and abide here forever.

Now I know this chapter was long, (a whopping 9,297 words and 27 pages on a word document!) but I know that (unlike me) some people don't like reading long chapters, so I've put a poll on my profile so vote on what kind of chapters you like.

Also do you guys like that I've added a lot more description and dialogue, or would you prefer more book less character interaction? (and did you know I found it surprisingly hard to write Rikiga? I just can't seem to get into his head ;A; sorta like with Shion I guess (Shion's airheaded-ness is too much for me…))

Lastly who are YOUR favourite characters in the No.6 franchise? I'll tell you mine in the next chapter so tell me yours!


	2. Chapter 2 Rewrite

Book One, Chapter Two

**Bold is the book**

_Italics are either people's thoughts or Elyurias speaking._

Set in episode 7, before the kiss. Translation from Nostalgia on 9th Avenue on blogspot. Another long chapter because people aren't voting on the poll about the chapter length and amount of character interaction. (it's fifty-fifty right now on what you'll have to wait and see) My favourite character… It's a toss up between Nezumi and Karan.

The seating plan is this – Karan sits on one side with Nezumi beside her, directly across from her is Rikiga and beside him is Inukashi.

**Eovin:** No Niyol is _not_ Nezumi's real name, just one that was thought up by the amazing author of 'Hands of Time' a really good No.6 fic about Nezumi being sent back to the night of the hurricane after Shion's death. It's really good. I'm glad you like my Nezumi~! I'm trying really hard with him, he just always seemed so surprised and afraid of his emotions to me. So I'm trying to show that. :3

**Disappointed:** I'm sorry that you don't like the change but I'd like to think that my writing style has matured and I physically _could not_ look at what I had written. It was so bad. If it really upsets you, then please, don't read. Also Nezumi, Rikiga, Inukashi and Karan are so much more serious because No.6 _is_ a very dark and serious story. It's not as noticeable in the anime, but in the book Safu is experimented on, Nezumi and Shion are nearly killed several times, Nezumi and Rikiga (I think) torture the No.6 official that try's to sleep with Inukashi, Nezumi and Shion _climb a mound of fucking __**corpses**_. And an entire type of people are massacred (Nezumi's people remember? The Mao?) it's not a nice story.

**Pinksamuari1014:** Thank you for reviewing and for saying you like the rewrite~! I mentioned above where I'm getting the translation from but the url is . just remove the brackets.

Also writing Rikiga without it turning into total crack or smashing my head through my desk is still hard, hopefully it will get better…

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>L<strong>ast time:

_Slowly Karan closed the book, eyes far away, "So that's it…"_

_"That's what?" Rikiga inquired._

_"That's what had such a great effect on Shion that he didn't even care that he'd lost his place in the Gifted Curriculum…" She turned to Nezumi, studying him. "I wonder… Do you even know how much that one night with you changed him?"_

_Frozen Nezumi simply stared at the woman. He couldn't think of any words. Despite the thousands of words Nezumi knew for any and every situation, he couldn't think of a thing to say to this woman. Woman who cared for Shion, loved him. Who hadn't judged him, or hated him for making her lose her comfortable life._

_Thankfully Inukashi broke in then, "What are we gonna do now?" His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, shadowed eyes staring at the closed book._

_"Keep reading I suppose…" Karan answered quietly. "But who should read now?"_

* * *

><p>"I-I suppose I will…" It was Rikiga, eyeing the book like it might bite him. Nezumi, grateful that he wouldn't have to answer Karan's question, especially with those eyes like Shion's staring at him, turned to taunt him.<p>

"You sure old man? You might run outta breath… But then again, you do talk a lot."

"Eve! You talk a lot, but I bet when it comes down to it, you just run away like a coward!"

Images flashed through Nezumi's mind like lightning-

_Smoke. Fire. Burning. Where was his mother? He was scared, where was she? Screams. Crying. Bursting out the door and into Hell. Friends, family. Dead, dying. Men in armor, with guns. Shooting, killing. His father, standing tall. Protecting Mother and his baby brother. Mother's scream when they shot him. Her yelling to him. 'Run Niyol! Don't look back!' Flames burning down his back, melting flesh, his own screams ringing in his ears. Mother, attacking, killing, being killed, all to protect him. Him running, running away from the screams and the flames and his family…_

He wasn't even aware that he'd moved, but when he returned to consciousness he was straddling Rikiga, his knife pressed against his throat. Rage flowed through his veins and he was drowning in it. How dare he? How_ dare he?_ He didn't know _anything_. Didn't know what it felt like to be six years old and watch everything you had known be destroyed in one night. Didn't know what it was like to see your own mother slaughtered like a pig while you ran away _like a coward_. To be totally _**alone**_.

_But you aren't alone anymore…are you?_

He wanted to deny it but…

'_**Welcome home, Nezumi…'**_

It didn't count, didn't matter. Shion didn't have anywhere to go. If he could go back to No.6, he'd go in a second.

'_**I'm glad I met you…'**_

He was alone… Wasn't he? Was he? He was so confused. Everything had been easy before. Work, buy food, dodge his overly grabby fans, annoy Inukashi and get information, work on his mechanical mice, keep an eye on Shion, sleep, rinse and repeat.

Now everything was all mixed up. He was feeling things he had never felt before. Even now he could feel the proof that he had a heart aching in his chest. The same heart he thought had been burned out and destroyed by the fires of No.6… But now…but now…

_Shion… What have you done to me?_

Nezumi forcibly pulled himself away from his thoughts, ruthlessly crushing the emotions and locking them away. He wouldn't, couldn't, deal with them now. Jerkily he yanked the knife away, rising and stalking away.

"Keep your mouth shut old man. Or I'll shut it for you…"

* * *

><p>He could look back on that day years later and Inukashi still wouldn't be sure what had set Nezumi off. Nezumi who never showed any emotion. Nezumi who you could call a whore, a fake, a thief, scum and liar without him reacting. But something about that word, <em>coward<em>, had made Nezumi snap. Made him snap in a way that Inukashi had never seen, had never realized that he _could_ react like that. He didn't want to admit it but… Right now, Nezumi was frightening him.

Nezumi's eyes were downcast and shadowed. For a small eternity there was silence then Nezumi slid the knife back into it's hiding place and sat down.

"Are you going to read or not?"

* * *

><p>Slowly Rikiga rose, keeping wary eyes on Eve he settled back at the kotatsu. Equally slowly he lifted the book. He tried to ignore the fact he was acting like an animal under the eyes of a predator–<p>

_Mouse under the eyes of a hungry cat_

–trying not to draw attention to itself.

After finding the page, Rikiga cleared his throat and finally looked up. Taking in a deep breath and letting it whoosh out he began, "Chapter Two, A Quiet Beginning,

**Index Case (First Discovered Example)**

**Male, aged 31 years. Employee at a biotechnology firm. Engineer.**

**Already dead upon discovery. Confirmed address…**

**The man sank into a bench in the Forest park, and sighed. He wondered how many times he had already sighed this morning. He sighed, and looked at the head of lettuce in his hand. It made him sigh again. Crisp, green leaves firmly wrapped the head of lettuce – as far as quality went, it was first-class. He tore off a leaf, and brought it to his mouth. It had a delicate taste, and the texture was excellent. First-class, indeed. Then why wasn't it selling?**

**The lettuce was this man's piece of work. He had long worked in the development of biotechnology to produce fresh produce, namely leafy vegetables. He believed that these safe, affordable and delicious bio-vegetables were the solution to the rising food crisis, and would soon become a mainstay in food distribution. He had the confidence it would. But market sales were not doing as well as he expected, and the man was losing hope. Buyers seemed to prefer produce trucked in from the fields of the South-eastern Blocks, rather than his bio-vegetables. The trend was especially strong for leafy vegetables, like cabbage and lettuce. If this continued, his boss had told him, he would have to start thinking about discontinuing production.**

**The base of his neck itched. It had been itching for a while now. The man was prone to getting rashes when he was tired. By tonight, a red rash would probably have spread to his whole body. Too many unpleasant things were happening today. He sighed again. The lettuce in his hand felt heavy.**

**A beeping sound rang from his breast pocket. The mobile telephone screen on his ID card lit up, and young woman's face appeared.**

**"Greetings from the Municipal Information System. This is to notify you of the results of the Children's Examination you have registered for. To confirm your account, please enter your Citizenship Number..." Before the woman was even finished speaking, the man began to key in his number. Today was the day of his two-year-old daughter's Examinations. She was a bright and adorable little girl. He had never dared to say it out loud, but he secretly harboured an expectation that she might be acknowledged as a top ranker.**

**"Thank you. We have confirmed your fingerprint and registration number. Your information is as follows..." His daughter's name was displayed, followed by a set of detailed numbers. Weight, height, bust measurement, condition of health, condition of nutrition, development stage, ranking of various skills... all grades ranged in the average A to C. She was neither overly behind, nor outstandingly brilliant. That was it. The man gazed at the screen for a moment, and then put his card back into his pocket. He thought of his daughter's smile.**

**Oh well.**

**The man spoke to himself, and grinned at the head of lettuce in his hand. Gifted or not, his daughter was still his daughter. He cherished and adored her. And that was good enough.**

**Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head. Had he, perhaps, been too trapped in the idea of the best, most perfect? It was true ― there was nothing to complain about this lettuce. But maybe its perfection was also the bane of it. If these identical, perfect heads of lettuce were piled up row after row, consumers might not feel as inclined to buy it. What if its perfection was actually scaring consumers away?**

**A cleaning robot was approaching. On its metallic body sat a round head, and two arms extended to pick up trash, and throw it inside the dust box located in the middle of its body. Yes. This lettuce was like that robot. It was clean and orderly, but too artificial. The vegetables that the consumers wanted were more unique, more natural... The lettuce rolled out of his hand. The man quickly bent down to pick it up, and furrowed his brow.**

_**Huh?**_

**His fingers stiffened. His vision blurred. It was hard to breathe. The robot picked the lettuce up, and paused. A young male voice prompted him.**

**"May I dispose of this as trash?"**

**The man opened his mouth to speak, and was overcome with a fit of coughing. Along with it, something white spilled out of his mouth. Teeth. His teeth were falling out.**

**"Are you sure? I will dispose of it now." The lettuce was thrown into the dust box, and the robot moved away.**

――_**Wait, help me...**_

**The man reached out, and gave a cry of horror. The whole length of his extended arm was riddled with spots. His body grew heavy. The man staggered, and collapsed on the ground between the bench and the hedges.**

Karan knew she was staring at Rikiga in horror, but this… What was this? What was happening to that man and why did she think Shion was involved.

_Shion works at the park…remember?_

She trembled, _'Shion,'_ She thought desperately, _'Please be safe… Please, please, please…'_

**It was past six when Shion was called over by his co-worker, Yamase. The two were the only people at the Park Administration Office. Together they operated and maintained the three cleaning robots that patrolled the park. Labour robots such as these were still at the prototype stage, and even simple cleaning robots were prone to breaking down. Operating them was a hassle too, because they weren't good at distinguishing trash. After recording an object as trash in the computer's memory the first time around, it was supposed to recognize it automatically every time afterwards. But the robots sent back "indistinguishable object" errors all the time. There was one half an hour ago, in fact. The image sent back to him looked like a head of lettuce, and Shion had hesitated for a moment about what to do. He had encountered other things before that he wondered if he should call trash, like a baby chick that had fallen out of a tree, or a hat with a rather extravagant feathered decoration. Lettuce, though, was a first.**

**"Something the matter?" He stood behind Yamase, who was sitting at the operation panel.**

**"Hmm... Sampo's acting strange."**

**Yamase liked to call the three robots by their nicknames.****Sampo****was Robot No. 3. Today, it was working in a corner in the deeper recesses of the park. Sampo was also the same one that picked up the head of lettuce. The screen in front of them displayed a flashing red error notifying them of an indistinguishable object.**

**"What's the image like?"**

**"Yeah, about that. It's not very clear, but... it's strange."**

**"Strange?"**

**Yamase was twenty ― four years older than Shion ― and quiet by nature, seldom ruffled by anything. The calm nature of his co-worker was one of the two reasons why Shion liked this workplace. The other reason was that because his job dealt mostly with machines, he didn't have to talk to people.**

**"Here, you take a look," Yamase said, switching the screen over to the camera.**

**"Can you focus in a little more?"**

**"Sure," came the answer, and Yamase's hands moved swiftly over the control panel. The image became clearer.**

**"What..." Shion leaned in closer, and his breath caught in his throat. Feet? A pair of trousered legs were protruding from behind the bench. He could see a pair of brownish shoes outfitting them.**

**"You think he's sleeping...?" Yamase's voice trembled.**

**"Any signs of life?"**

**"Huh?"**

**"Can you raise Sampo's sensors to the max level?" Sampo was outfitted with several receptors that could sense heat, sound, and texture. Yamase's voice shook more violently.**

**"Oxygen, heat emission... zero. No signs of life."**

**"I'll go check," Shion said abruptly.**

**"I'm coming too."**

**They leapt on their bicycles, and pedalled as hard as they could. Bicycles had become explosively popular in the last few years, and statistics showed that the average citizen owned 1.3 bicycles. Jogging shoes were also selling well. Rather than convenient and effortless modes of transportation, it seemed like more people were choosing to walk, pedal, and otherwise use their own bodies. Popular or not, for a student like Shion, something this affordable that manoeuvred easily and didn't cost anything to fuel was more of a necessity.**

**There were speed limits even for bicycles within the park. Shion pedalled full-throttle through a path he would usually only stroll down. Most vehicles nowadays were equipped with a restraint mechanism that automatically kicked in when the vehicle went over a certain speed. Bicycles were no exception, and the mechanism was usually built into the brake lever. But Shion's bicycle was an older model, and wasn't equipped with speed restraints. He would have to pay a fine if the Transportation Bureau found out, but right now, he was glad he could go as fast as he could.**

"Seriously?!" Inukashi couldn't help but burst out. "Speed limits on fucking bikes?! Jeeze…"

**He reached a quiet area secluded by trees. Beneath a canopy of swishing leaves, Sampo was standing still. His head joint, slightly tilted to the side, made him look either pensive or baffled.**

**"Sampo." In response to Shion's voice, its LED eyes lit up green. Shion peered behind the bench, and froze.**

**"Shion, what's going on?" Yamase arrived slightly later, and made a muffled noise in his throat.**

**The man lay behind the bench, as if to hide behind it. His mouth was open and his eyes wide and staring. His expression resembled surprise, rather than fear or pain. He looked like he had seen something shocking moments before he died. His hair was snowy white, and on his cheeks there were spots that looked like senile plaque. His wrinkles were pronounced. He was quite aged.**

_**That's a pretty flashy shirt for his age, though.**_

**Shion remarked inwardly at the light pink shirt the man was wearing.**

**"Yamase-san, can you contact the Security Bureau?"**

**"Huh? Oh... oh yeah, of course. Sure. Give me a minute... Hello? Um, this is the Park Administration Office..." Half-listening to Yamase's shaky voice as he explained the situation, Shion reached out cautiously to touch the man. Rigor mortis had spread to his whole body.**

**"That's impossible," Shion muttered almost automatically in disbelief.**

_**It was too soon.**_

All of them couldn't help but be curious, even if only morbidly. _What _had happened, 'too soon'? What was impossible?

**Rigor mortis usually began taking effect at least an hour after death―two or three hours, in most cases. It started at the jaw and spread gradually downwards to end at the legs. Judging by that, this man would have been dead at least several hours. But 30 minutes ago, this body wasn't here. If it was, Sampo would have noticed it. He knew that there had been a living person sitting on the bench. After confirming the lettuce, Sampo's sensors had registered a living human presence. Of course, he had no evidence to prove that these two were the same person. No, there was no way it could be. There was no way a person who was alive 30 minutes ago could go through complete rigor mortis in this short time. Then―was someone else sitting on this bench, oblivious to the dead man?**

_**Impossible.**_

**Shion let go of the man's arm, which felt stiffer and colder than Sampo's mechanical one. It was impossible. Even if the man had lain dead without being noticed, Sampo would have picked him up. Indeed, Sampo had reacted to his presence, and sent an "indistinguishable object" error just minutes ago. That meant that 30 minutes ago, there was no dead body here.**

**Shion thought he saw the body move. Of course, it was just his imagination. But ― Shion stifled a cry of horror. The jaw of the man, stiff only minutes ago, was starting to loosen. He thought he could even smell a faint odour of rot. The man was face-down, and behind his ears Shion could see a blackish-green stain begin to spread. That was definitely not there before. Certain not visibly to the naked eye. Shion leaned in closer.**

**"They're coming," Yamase sighed in relief. A Security Bureau car was approaching soundlessly.**

**"So in the space of ten-odd minutes, you saw complete rigor mortis―and it started rotting right afterwards? That's impossible," Safu concluded simply, after she had swallowed her mouthful of chocolate doughnut. The fast-food joint where they sat, located near the older parts of town was bustling with people of every shade and colour.**

**"And if you're saying you smelled rot, then that means decomposition by bacteria had already started, right? That can't be. Even in the middle of the summer, it would take at least 30 hours― right? ― for rigor mortis to dissipate completely."**

**"Under a fixed set of conditions, it would take 36 hours in the summertime, 3-7 days in the winter, and 60 hours in the weather we're having now. That's what the textbooks say," Shion replied, dropping his gaze from Safu's face and taking a sip from his cup of tea. He felt melancholic. And tired.**

**"Did the Security Bureau give you a hard time?" Safu peered into his face. Her short, cropped hair framed her delicate face and large eyes, which gave her a mysterious, androgynous sort of allure. Safu was also among the top-ranking in intelligence during her Examinations for Two-Year-Olds. She was one of the several classmates he studied with at the same school until the age of ten. And presently, at age sixteen, she was the only one whom Shion shared a close relationship with. She specialized in physiology, and was set to go on exchange soon to another city.**

**"It was an unnatural death after all, they must've been suspicious. They probably interrogated the heck out of you because of that, didn't they?"**

**Safu as Shion knew her in the classroom was a small, quiet girl. She was probably still the same in the lab. But when she was alone with Shion, Safu smiled often, ate well, and relaxed her formal tone. Shion drained his tea, and slowly shook his head.**

**"Nah, it wasn't as bad as I thought." Truth be told, the Security Bureau's interrogation was surprisingly short. All they did was seize the data that Sampo had recorded of the body, and demand an explanation of the situation from each of the two. The official spoke sharply when he found out that Shion's registered address was located in the old-town district, close to the West Block, but Shion was used to that kind of treatment and thought nothing of it.**

**"Then why do you look so down about it? You're the picture of the troubled young man right now."**

**"It... just doesn't seem right."**

**"The rigor mortis and its dissipation time?"**

**"Right. You said so yourself, Safu. It's not possible. You're right. There was no condition present that could have accelerated the rigor mortis and dissipation to that extent."**

**"You mean no condition in terms of temperature or humidity, or some other external influence, right? You won't know until you perform an autopsy if there might be an internal cause that accelerated it."**

**"Internal cause, huh... like what?"**

**"For example, if that person was severely debilitated, he wouldn't have stiffened up as much, and it wouldn't have lasted as long. In people with phosphorus poisoning or in infants, they say it's almost nonexistent..."**

**"He was definitely not an infant, I can tell you that."**

**Safu sniffed indignantly and glared at Shion.**

**"It was just an example. You're as sarcastic as ever, aren't you? That hasn't changed at all. But I guess there's not much we can make of it if we don't have any data."**

**"Yeah..." Shion nodded vaguely, and unconsciously bit his lower lip. Data, textbooks, manuals... there were times when they became completely useless. What he once believed to be so certain and absolute would be overturned ever so easily, and crumble before him. He experienced that four years ago.**

**"Shion." Safu put her elbows on the table, and folded her hands over each other. She placed her chin on them, and gazed at Shion.**

**"I want to ask you something."**

**"What?"**

**"Four years ago ― why didn't you enroll into the Gifted Curriculum?" It was as if her question saw right through him. Shion broke off a piece of the blandly sweet apple pie with his hands. The filling oozed out onto the plate.**

**"Why're you asking now?"**

**"Because I want to know. Even from an objective point of view, you were a stellar student. You absorbed information well and knew how to apply it. All the teachers had high expectations for you."**

**"You're giving me too much credit."**

**"It's the truth. The numbers prove it. Do you want me to show you your Skill Test results again from four years ago?"**

**"Safu." He had a bitter taste in his mouth. It felt like it was welling up from the very core of his body.**

**"What's the point of asking me this now? Four years ago, they decided I wasn't qualified for the Gifted Curriculum, so I lost all special privileges. I didn't**_**choose**_** to not enroll, I **_**couldn't**_**. Now I work for Park Administration to pay for my tuition, and I'm taking trades courses from the Labour Bureau. But my attendance hasn't been good so I'm not even sure if I can graduate. That's reality. That's the truth you're talking about, Safu."**

**"And why did you lose your privilege?"**

**"I don't want to talk about it."**

**"But I'd love for you to tell me."**

**Shion finished licking the pie crust from his fingers, and closed his mouth firmly. He didn't want to talk about it. Or, rather, he couldn't think of any explanation that would make Safu understand.**

**The reason was simple. He had taken a VC under his wing for the night, and let him escape. The Security Bureau had found that out. They had thought it suspicious that his mother Karan had left the security alarm off, and Shion had left the foreign-object detection system off in his own room. The security systems of each house were connected to the Central Administration Bureau's computer system, and could be easily tracked.**

**Not one hour had passed after Nezumi had disappeared when officials from the Security Bureau were knocking on his door. It was the start of their long and persistent interrogation.**

**You knew that he was a VC, then?  
>Yes.<br>Why didn't you call the police immediately?  
>Well...<br>Answer my question. You don't need to rush. Just give us a clear and accurate answer.  
>It was because he looked about the same age as me, and he was seriously injured. So I felt sorry for him...<br>So you sympathized with this VC, didn't contact the police, but instead treated his wounds and helped him escape.  
>It ended up as so, yes.<strong>

**The Security Bureau's Investigations and Interrogations official was named Rashi. He spoke gently throughout the whole meeting, never once raising his voice or his fist in violence. When their gruelling two-day investigation was over and Shion was released, he even gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder and said, "It's been hard, I know. Thanks." But Rashi's eyes never smiled once, and Shion had noticed. Even now, four years later, those unsmiling eyes came into his dreams, their gaze boring into him. He would awake in the morning, shaken, and soaked with sweat.**

**He concealed a criminal and aided his escape. Shion wasn't sentenced for this crime, but he was deemed severely deficient in appropriate judgment skill and ability to take action, and as a result all his special privileges were removed.**

**When the hurricane passed, Shion and Karan were cast out onto the streets, under a blindingly blue sky. They had no place to live, nor any means to make a living. Shion's Gifted Curriculum in ecology had become something more far away and unreachable than the clouds that floated in the sky above them.**

**A certainty, a definiteness he had in his hands only yesterday, only moments before, had vanished. They had scattered on the winds, more frail than the leaves he had watched whipped around in the storm. It was a sense of loss he was feeling for the first time in his life.**

**No. 6 had no welfare system. There was only a hierarchical insurance system based on the level of contribution that a select few of the citizens had to offer to the city. Shion and Karan, far from contributing to the city, were treated as people who had failed to serve their responsibility as citizens. They were at the lowest possible rank. That meant that, apart from being allowed to remain in the city, they were excluded from any aid or insurance.**

**Petri-dish elite. Nezumi had used that term that night, and it was true. He realized the weight of it after he had been thrown out of his enclosed and sheltered container. No. 6 was none other than a caste society. The vertical dynamic of the population was neatly ordered into a pyramid structure. Once you tumbled off the top tiers, it wasn't easy to crawl back up.**

Nezumi winced, '_I really messed up your life…didn't I? And you really don't blame me…'_

"I was never angry y'know?"

Nezumi's head jerked up, turning to stare at Karan who smiled at him gently. "I was confused and concerned and worried…but never angry."

"Why…?"

It was a whisper, the ghost of a breath, against his lips. Karan smiled.

"Because I knew… That if Shion was wiling to give everything up for someone…they must be important!"

Slowly a trembling smile spread across Nezumi's lips, "Thank you Karan…"

**"Look at you, so serious." Safu laughed. "I get it. If it's that hard to explain, then I won't ask."**

**"Sorry." Shion held up a hand and ducked his head in apology. He was relieved that she didn't question him further. The events were easy enough to explain. He did want to tell Safu, for her to know about the dramatic events that had turned his life upside-down. But what Shion couldn't grasp, couldn't seem to find the words to explain, were his own feelings. He even surprised himself with what little regret he felt. He did feel shock at the fragility of his position, and he did more than once find himself curled up, unable to grapple with his sense of loss. But now, after four years of living through it all, he pondered. What would he do if he could turn back time to that day, on his twelfth birthday? Would he have called the police? Would he have set his security alarm off? The answer was always "no".**

**Even if he had the chance to return to that night, he would have done the same thing. He would have taken in the wind and rain, and the intruder that came with it. He felt it with certainty, and his certainty put him at unease. It wasn't like he found his life now more satisfying than before. He still had deep attachments to ecology, his state-of-the-art learning environment, his comfortable life ― and shamefully enough, even the accolades, the words of praise and encouragement, and gazes of admiration that he was the centre of. But even so, he would have done the same thing. If accepting Nezumi meant his own destruction, then to destruction he would have trodden again and again. He had no regrets about what he did. But he couldn't explain why. Since that night, other hurricanes came and went. Listening to the excited murmurings of the leaves in the wind, Shion felt not regret, but a sense of longing. It was a yearning to see him again.**

**Shion didn't have the confidence that he could explain it to Safu well enough. He had no other option but to remain silent.**

**"Shall we go then, Shion?" Safu stood up. The restaurant had become even more crowded, and now they could barely hear each other's voice.**

**"I'll walk you to the station," Shion offered.**

**"Of course. You would have to be really tactless to let a girl go home by herself, wouldn't you?"**

**"Oh come on," retorted Shion, "we both know how strong you are, even though you might look small and skinny. And you're speedy. I always thought you were more fit for martial arts than physiology, actually."**

**"You know what, you're right. I've been told off once about how I emotional I can get all of a sudden, when I'm usually so quiet. Maybe I'm not meant for lab work after all."**

**They walked side-by-side down the road to the station. Excluding a few restaurants, late-night business was banned in the city. In a matter of hours, the throngs of people walking up and down the streets now would disappear. Shion gave Safu's back a light push. Her last words had sounded somewhat dejected to his ears.**

**"Is that supposed to be the voice of someone who's passed the exams and is about to go on exchange?"**

**Safu raised her face, and grinned.**

**"Jealous, aren't you?"**

**"Yeah."**

**"That's awfully truthful of you."**

**"Be true to yourself, be kind to others. It's been my motto these days."**

**"Liar."**

**"Huh?"**

**"You're not jealous at all."**

**Shion stopped. Safu was staring at him challengingly. Just as he was about to call her name, he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder from behind.**

**"Excuse me." Shion turned around. A man was standing there, smiling. He was about a head shorter than Shion, and was wearing a Security Bureau uniform. It was navy blue from top to bottom and made of a special material called superfibre, which had impressive qualities for its unremarkable appearance. With durability that was tenfold that of steel, it served the purpose of a bullet-proof vest well enough; at the same time, it let air pass through easily so the garment could breathe. There was an increasing number of these uniformed Law Enforcement officers from the Security Bureau the closer they neared to the West Block. Shion calmly brushed the man's hand off his shoulder and spoke.**

**"Can I help you?"**

**"Ah, well... I just want to ask you two a couple questions... how old are you?"**

**"Sixteen."**

**"The both of you?"**

**"Yes."**

**"You do know that those under eighteen are prohibited from being outdoors after nine?"**

**"Yes, but it's still before eight."**

**"Shion," Safu whispered sharply. She was telling him not to argue. But the Security Bureau uniform standing before him brought back to memory the eyes of that interrogation officer who called himself Rashi. Instead of feeling intimidated, Shion was compelled to retaliate.**

**"Your ID cards, the two of you, please." Perhaps he had taken notice of Shion's rebellious attitude. The man wiped the smile clean off his face and demanded their identification cards expressionlessly. Safu passed her silver card to him. Shion silently did the same.**

**"Your Citizenship Numbers, in order."**

**"SSC-000124GJ."**

**"Qw-55142."**

**The man pulled the cards out of his portable card-reader, and turned to give Safu a slight bow.**

**"A Gifted Curriculum student like yourself shouldn't be roaming these areas at such a late hour. I advise you to go home."**

**"I was on my way... I was walking to the station."**

**"Let me walk you there."**

**"No thank you. He's going to." Safu clung to Shion's arm.**

**"I'll take her," said Shion shortly. "That's where we were headed in the first place. Let's go, Safu."**

**Snatching the cards from the officer's grasp, Shion grabbed Safu's hand, and strode swiftly away. When he turned around some moments later, the man had already disappeared into the bustling crowd.**

**"That scared me." Safu clutched her chest. "I've never been scolded by the Security Bureau."**

**"It happens all the time," replied Shion. "If you didn't have your Gifted Curriculum ID, he would have grilled us even more."**

**"Really?"**

**"Really," said Shion grimly. "Like the train that you're about to get on. With that ID card, you can bypass the General car and ride in Special Class. That's the kind of city we live in. Everyone's sorted out into categories based on skill, wealth, and all these other factors."**

**"Don't talk about it like that," Safu protested. "You don't 'sort' people like you 'sort' garbage and merchandise. People are people. They're humans."**

**"Safu, in this city it doesn't matter whether we're people or not. It matters how useful you are to the city. That's it."**

**"Shion..."**

**"Back there you called me a liar. I'm not. Of course I'm jealous. You've got all your privileges, and you're allowed to study and experiment to your heart's content. I'm envious, Safu. I resent you, even. You have everything that I don't have."**

**Shion paused, and let out a long breath. He had gone too far. It was shameful. Low. Embarrassing. Pathetic. He clicked his tongue at himself in frustration.**

**Safu sighed as well.**

**"You're still a liar."**

**"Huh?"**

**"Did you not hear me? You're. Still. A. Liar. I can add 'big' on top of that, if you like. You're only pretending to be envious of me. Or do you not even realize that you're lying? What a dense boy I've got on my hands."**

**"Safu, what―" Shion began in exasperation.**

**"If you were really envious and resentful, you wouldn't be able to stand going out to eat with me. But you, you're laughing, eating, making conversation, cracking jokes like it's nothing."**

**"Hey, I have some pride too. Obviously I'm not going to be openly jealous."**

**"Shion," said Safu firmly. "My specialization is in cognitive functions, brain activity and their relationship with hormones."**

**"I know."**

**"Good, because if you didn't, I would've been mad. I haven't told you this over and over for nothing. Anyway," she continued briskly, "say you**_**are**_**hiding your resentment and pretending to be enjoying your time with me. It would be stressful, right?"**

**"I guess so..." Shion replied dubiously.**

**"It**_**would**_**be stressful. And when you feel stress, your adrenal glands release steroid hormones called corticosteroids that influence your brain. And what it does to brain activity is―"**

**"Okay, Safu, I get it." Shion interrupted. "That's enough. Save your lecture for next time and I'll listen carefully―"**

**"Listen to me. You're not feeling any stress. You're not resentful of me at all. Shion, what is it that you want to do?"**

**"Huh?"**

**"If you do want to continue your studies, you can be resentful of me. But you're not. You said I have everything you don't have. Then what is it that you have? You can't say you have nothing," she added hastily. "People who have nothing ― no ― people who**_**think**_**they've got nothing left, can't smile like you do. Or talk like you do. For your emotions not to have any influence on your actions, to have that level of perfect control, it takes special training. You're not getting any special training. I don't think you're an overly emotional person, but I also don't think you have the ability to control 100% of your emotions either. The only reason you can have a regular conversation with me and laugh around me is because you have a certain level of emotional security."**

**"Safu, what you just said is all armchair theory. Humans have complex emotions. They're not like lab rats. I don't think you can explain how emotions influence people's actions that easily. It's arrogant to believe that science can explain everything about human nature."**

**Safu shrugged. They were approaching the station.**

**"I didn't know you wanted to become a writer."**

**"Safu," Shion said wearily.**

**"Then I'll say this in a literary context. Emotional security... so I'm talking about hope, or dreams. You have those. That's why you don't feel the need to resent me. Shion, what is it that you hope for?"**

**Hope. He repeated the word silently. It was a word he hadn't used for years. It was neither sweet nor bitter, but it slowly warmed him from deep inside of his body.**

**Hope. What do I hope for?**

**His promised future had collapsed. What was left to him now were his mother, the meager wages from his job, and his own sixteen-year-old body. What hope resided in those? He wasn't sure. But he was sure that he hadn't completely lost hope either.**

**They entered the station. The old-town district where Shion lived was located adjacent to the West Block and the city border, and functioned as a sort of buffer zone between the city centre and the West Block. It was called Lost Town. A far cry from the tranquility of the city centre, it was a squalid place, dense with people. The station they were in was also very crowded. The faint smell of deep-fried food and alcohol wafted in the air.**

**"I'm fine from here." Safu stopped. There was a black winged insect on her shoulder. Brushing it away, Shion asked a nonchalant question.**

**"Be careful. Oh, when are you off for your exchange again?"**

**"In two days."**

**"Two days!" Shion exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"**

**"Because I didn't want to. Would you have thrown me a farewell party if I did?"**

**Safu jutted her chin out defiantly.**

**"Shion, I want to ask something from you."**

**"Sure, if I can manage to get it to you in time..."**

**"Your sperm."**

Rikiga, Inukashi and Karan all choked,

"Wha-What?! Oh man!" Inukashi disregarded his shock for amusement at how Shion would of reacted to that, "I can't believe this chick. Askin' stuff like that from that airhead. Does he even know what sex is?"

Karan politely turned her head away, a blush staining her cheeks and covered her face. "Rikiga," She called over Inukashi's laughter,, voice muffled "Please continue reading."

Throughout it all Nezumi just smirked, he remembered that night, Shion had been so surprised.

**Safu looked Shion in the eyes as she said those words. She didn't blink once. Shion gaped at her open-mouthed.**

**"Did you hear me? I want your sperm."**

**"Uh― what? Safu... um―"**

**"Out of all the people I know, you would probably be the most superior sperm donor. Your sperm and my ovum. Don't you think it would produce the most perfect child? I want it, Shion. I want your sperm."**

**"Artificial insemination needs permission from the city," Shion answered cautiously.**

**"Getting permission would be easy. The city encourages artificial insemination between people who possess excellent DNA and superior skills."**

**Shion swallowed, and turned away. The winged insect crossed his line of vision, buzzing incessantly. Irritation welled up inside him.**

**"Safu, I don't know if I told you this, but I've never known my father. I don't know his personality, his stature, or if he had any illnesses."**

**"I know. But parents don't matter. Ninety-nine percent of the human genome has been decoded already. I can find out anything I need to know about your genetic information."**

**"And then... if you do get the information, and there's something in there that you don't want, what are you going to do?"**

**"Well..."**

**"Safu, what are you trying to get at? Do you think a human being is entirely what his DNA base sequence tells us he is? Sure, you can look up my DNA, analyze my genes, but what's that going to tell you about me? You talk about having kids like it's easy, but―"**

**"I know a lot more about you than you think!"**

**Safu's voice cut him off shrilly. People turned their heads as they passed.**

**"We've been together since we were two. I know what kind of person you are, what you like to do... I know. I know, and I'm still telling you this― you're the one who doesn't know anything."**

**"What?"**

**Safu mumbled something, but he couldn't catch it. He bent toward her slightly so he could hear better.**

**"I want to have sex with you."**

**Her words rang clear in Shion's ears.**

**"Safu..."**

**"I don't want your sperm. I don't want artificial insemination. I don't care about having kids or not. I want to have sex with you. That's it."**

**"Wait, uh― wait a minute... Safu, I―"**

**"Right now."**

Inukashi couldn't help but snicker, '_She certainly is bold, isn't she?'_

**Shion inhaled. The greasy scent of fried food wafted into his nostrils. The clock chimed eight o'clock.**

**"Not now."**

**"Why not? Because you're not interested in me? Or not interested in sex?"**

**"I'm interested in both. But... I don't want to do it, not now, with you."**

**"So it's because it's with me?"**

**"No― my body would probably respond no problem. Even now I'm... but― but that's why I don't want to. I don't want to sleep with you on a spur of the moment."**

**"You know that's like saying you've never seen me in that way before."**

**"Yeah. I always thought of you as a friend."**

**"I can't believe it."Safu sighed in exasperation. "Why are you such a kid? Whatever. I'm going home."**

**"Safu, in two years―"**

**"Hm?"**

**"Your exchange is for two years, right? When you come back, I'll ask this time."**

**"If I want to have sex?"**

**"Yeah."**

**"You're a bonafide idiot if I ever saw one. I don't know how you could have come this far being that laid-back."**

**"Stay safe. Don't work too hard."**

**"Oh, you can count on me working hard. I'll work so hard, it'll keep all the boys away."**

**With a casual wave of her hand in farewell, Safu turned around, and gave a small shriek. A small grey animal darted past Safu's feet and scurried up Shion's body.**

**"A mouse!"**

**A small mouse about the size of Shion's pinky sat on his shoulder, twitching its nose.**

**"I'm surprised to see mice in this city. But it**_**is**_**kind of cute," Safu mused.**

**"Pretty friendly, too."**

**The mouse brought its face close to Shion's ear.**

**"Still a natural," it whispered.**

**He felt an electric shock run through him. He grabbed at the mouse, but it slipped through his fingers, bounded off his shoulder and shot toward the station exit. True, this was an older district―but Lost Town was still within city limits, and mice were rare. The Health and Hygiene Bureau saw to the complete removal of all pests, animal or insect. People weren't used to seeing the mouse that sped past their feet. Shrieks of surprise and bursts of anxious buzzing rose from the crowd.**

**And at the very end of it, Shion saw a pair of grey eyes. It was for a fleeting instant. A jolt pierced through his body again.**

**"Nezumi!"**

**"Shion, what's wrong?"**

**"Safu, you can make it home by yourself, right?"**

**"What? Of course. I was just about to, wasn't I? What's wrong? Why are you so agitated?"**

**"Sorry―"**

**After they parted here, he wouldn't see Safu again for two years. He knew he had to give her a proper sending-off. At the very least, watch her retreating back until it disappeared into the jostling crowd. Whether they were going to have sex or not, didn't change the fact that Safu was important to him. He knew well that this was nearly not the proper farewell that she deserved. He knew. But what he thought he knew so well was swept away instantly. His body moved on its own, defying his rational thought. Yes, he had experienced this four years ago― even though he knew reason always had the right answer.**

**Turn the security system on. Notify the Security Bureau. Remove the foreign presence. He had defied all of it. It was the same now. He was letting his emotions control his actions.**

**It had begun raining outside. Raindrops pelted his cheek. In the crowd of people briskly walking to and fro, not a familiar face was to be seen.**

**"Shion!" Karan greeted her son at the door, and widened her eyes. "You're soaked through! What were you doing?"**

**"Walking."**

**"In this rain? From where?"**

**"The station."**

**"And why on earth did you let yourself get this wet?"**

**"I was cooling off."**

**"Cooling off, hmm? Laid back as always, aren't you?"**

**Safu has used the same words only moments before. Shion chuckled to himself and began towelling off his hair. It had suddenly grown very cool since it started raining; the old kerosene fan heater was humming to keep the room warm. Karan yawned. It was already time for her to sleep. Tucked away in a corner of Lost Town, Karan ran a modest bakery. It was small, with only one showcase. But people seemed to be drawn to the aroma of freshly-baked bread that wafted from the doors early each morning, and business was booming. She opened early, and so slept early too. It was rounding nine o'clock, which for Karan was like midnight.**

**"I'm thinking of increasing the batch of butter rolls tomorrow. And maybe be a little adventurous and try selling some simple cakes, on top of the muffins that we sell. What do you think?"**

**"Like cherry cake?"**

**"That's the one. A little something that people can buy as a snack, but a little more higher-end than bread or muffins. A small souvenir for a special day, or something like that."**

**"That sounds great," Shion enthused.**

**"Don't you think so? And I think having cakes in the display case would liven things up a little."**

**Shion nodded, and began to leave the living room. In this house, they didn't have the luxury of private bedrooms. Karan slept in a corner of the living room, and Shion in the storage cellar.**

**"Shion," his mother called. He turned around.**

**"Did something happen?"**

**"Huh?"**

**"Did something happen to you that would make you need to cool off?" Karan continued without waiting for Shion's answer. "When you came home, you seemed a little dazed. You didn't even seem to realize you were wet. And... even now―"**

**"Now?"**

**"You look absent-minded, but then again a little agitated... it's a strange face you've got on. Do you want me to bring a mirror?"**

**Shion exhaled shortly.**

**"Someone died in the park today."**

**"What? In the Forest Park? There was nothing in the news about that."**

**Nothing in the news? Did that mean that the man died of natural causes? Although sudden, maybe it was explainable. Not enough to make the news, just a normal death ― Shion shook his head. Of course not. The time it took for that body to become rigid, the expression on his face, the green stain. It was all too abnormal.**

**To the Security Bureau he had only explained what he found at the scene. He pretended that he hadn't noticed the rigor mortis or the stain―he felt like he had to. He didn't know why, but a voice inside him had told him to play dumb, to lie. Just as a small animal might sense danger and hide itself, his instinct had warned him. Instinct - there it was again. He was acting not on reason, but on whim. He was turning away from logic and sense only too easily to succumb to instinctive emotion. Shion sighed deeply. It was a little hard to breathe.**

**"And that's why you're agitated?"**

**"Well, yeah. I've never seen a dead body before."**

_**I'm lying, mom. I saw those eyes again today. I saw Nezumi. I have a feeling that something's going to happen. That's why―**_

**Karan smiled and wished him good night. It was a gentle smile. He wished her good night in answer, and left the living room.**

**Karan's stature was still plump, but she looked much younger than before. It seemed like she hadn't taken the move from Chronos to Lost Town too harshly. She often smiled as she talked about how enjoyable it was to bake bread, and how uplifting it was when people bought them. It wasn't just out of kindness or a desire to reassure her son. Karan wasn't despairing at all about their life here. In Chronos, everything was given to them, but their life in Lost Town was something Karan had built up with her own hands. That was why Shion didn't want to destroy it. He didn't want to uproot her entire life as he did four years ago. He didn't want to get her involved in trouble again.**

Karan sighed, '_Don't you know Shion? It's the parents job to worry about the child. And I would've done everything to help you if you'd of told me…_

**Shion collapsed into bed. He felt a faint chill, and there was a dull pain at the back of his head. When he closed his eyes, a flurry of images rushed past his eyelids. The greenish stain, the abandoned lettuce, the pink shirt, Safu's face.**_**I want to have sex.**_**The mouse that had scurried up his body.**_**Still a natural.**_**The core of his body grew hot. His heartbeat quickened. It was no dream. It wasn't an illusion. Nezumi did exist there, in the crowd people at the station.**_**That was some flashy appearance you made back there.**_**"Jerk," he muttered under his breath. What was he supposed to expect from that short appearance? What was Nezumi planning to do?**

**Shion sat up in bed. Safu aside, were the body in the park and Nezumi somehow connected? On the same night that he discovered the body, Nezumi appeared. Was that a coincidence? If they were related, how were they―**

**A chime interrupted his thoughts. The mobile telephone on his ID card was ringing. It couldn't be. He knew it couldn't be Nezumi, but his heart raced. His fingers trembled as he grasped the card. White letters flashed on the display―Safu. He tapped the Talk button and the screen switched to Safu's face.**

**"Shion, were you asleep?"**

**"Ah―um, no."**

**He had forgotten. He should be the one calling her back, and to finish saying the farewell that he had left hanging.**

**"Safu, I'm sorry about back there. I―"**

**"That person was that important to you, huh?"**

**"Huh?"**

**Safu's face had broken into a wry smile. It was both serene and beautiful.**

**"I've never seen you look like that before. Do you know what kind of expression you had on?"**

**"Huh? Wait―did I look that bad?"**

**"It was very interesting indeed. It kept me entertained the whole time. First, it was astonishment, and then―well, let's see―what could you call it? Joy? Raptness, maybe. Enough to wipe everything else out of your mind. And then you beelined out of the station, leaving me behind all by myself. Sad story, huh? I know."**

**"I'm so sorry. I can't apologize enough."**

**"I'll say. You're welcome. At least I got to see a new side of you―I've never seen you with that face before. So, Shion, who is it that makes you look like that? Was****she****that important to make you drop everything and chase after her?"**

**"Yeah."**

**He even surprised himself at his prompt affirmation.**

**"Um, Safu, don't get me wrong. It's not a girlfriend, or anything like that. Uh―I can't really explain it well, but..."**

**"Also my first time seeing you stumble over yourself trying to explain things. That's alright if you have a girlfriend. I don't mind if you've already got someone on your mind. ―No, that was a lie. Look at me, I always try to put up a strong face in any situation. It's a bad habit of mine."**

**"That's not true," Shion retorted. "You're always truthful to yourself."**

**"Only in front of you." Didn't you realize? Safu continued, and her expression grew serious.**

**"Safu, really, um― take care of yourself. When we meet in two years―"**

**"I love you, Shion. More than anyone else."**

**The line died without waiting for his answer. He could hear the pitter-patter of rain. He thought he saw something move in a corner of the room.**

**"Nezumi?"**

**Amidst the bags of flour and sugar piled in the storage room, only the sound of rain echoed. Shion hugged his knees and sat silently in the darkness, lending an ear to its continuous drizzle. The rain showed no sign of worsening or letting up, and continued through the rest of the night.**

"That's it…"

It was a quiet murmur, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"So, Nezumi returns, ne? And Shion is as much of a confused airhead as ever." Inukashi snickered, "And the girl, Safu? She doesn't old back does she?"

Inukashi's laughter seem to start it, and soon all of them were laughing, barking laughs from Inukashi, deep, loud, belly laughs from Rikiga, soft, gentle laughs from Karan and Nezumi's low, quiet, deep chuckles. None of them could tell why they were laughing anymore, all they knew was that they couldn't seem to stop and that it was wonderful to sit there and know there was nothing else they needed to do. That they could just laugh…

* * *

><p>Second chapter… COMPLETE!<p>

Awwwwww yeeaaaahhhh!

Whoo that was a doozy, and it only took me two days to write ~(^-^~)

Not as much Karan here and I thought I'd show you some of my head canon for what Nezumi remembers about the night the Mao were killed. Not to mention any woman that birthed Nezumi had to be a badarse so there you go.

Ah the joys of not wanting to study for my exams… Anyway you know the drill.

Questions, comments, spelling mistakes (cause I _**know**_ there will be some) let me know.

PS. I'm sorry the ending was weird... I'm not really happy with it so I might edit it one day...


	3. Chapter 3 Rewrite

I'm so sorry. I meant to post this like a week ago but my grad-uncle died and my uncle's brother was attacked and in ICU and my sister dragged me around to go see where she's thinking about having her engagement party and school started again and I'm on my last year of school now.

Anyway, so since, out of the three who voted, two of you wanted to have longer chapters with a lot of character interaction that's what you're gonna get. Also all updates and notes about when I'll be updating will be posted on my profile so you guys should keep an eye on that.

And I have another poll~! This one is about Shion join the group or not. Cause I have an idea about making a series of one-shots and having both Shion reading certain chapters and the group reading little side stories of my own creation, probably stuff like what happened during the Mao Forest Tribe Massacre and what Nezumi thought when he met Shion for the first time and when he left the next morning and the official side story (also from 9th-ave) called 'Days in West Block.'

One last thing, I think my frustrations with life right now are influencing my Nezumi! Muse because he's very angry in this chapter…

Ok so I think that's it.

**Pinksamuria1014:** You're welcome; I've also put the URL for the translation I use on my profile just in case. Also thank you for reviewing again (⦦^3^) ⦦ ~*✧❤

**Eovin:** Thank you~! And I'm sorry that you still don't know Nezumi's real name, I'm pretty curious too but I also sorta don't want to know… I heard about the side story too, I'm pretty excited (if it's real) but I really, really, _**really**_ don't want Rikiga to be Shion's dad. Karan deserves better. Karan is BAMF who deserves better than Rikiga and similar trash. [Eats cookie]

**Bold is the book**

_Italics is thoughts, flashbacks or Elyurias talking_

* * *

><p>.::<strong> Last<strong> Time::.

_"That's it…"_

_It was a quiet murmur, just loud enough for everyone to hear._

_"So, Nezumi returns, ne? And Shion is as much of a confused airhead as ever." Inukashi snickered, "And the girl, Safu? She doesn't hold back does she?"_

_Inukashi's laughter seem to start it, and soon all of them were laughing, barking laughs from Inukashi, deep, loud, belly laughs from Rikiga, soft, gentle laughs from Karan and Nezumi's low, quiet, deep chuckles. None of them could tell why they were laughing anymore, all they knew was that they couldn't seem to stop and that it was wonderful to sit there and know there was nothing else they needed to do. That they could just laugh…_

Slowly the almost hysterical laughter died away, an odd bone deep weariness replacing it and Karan lent back with a yawn, her eyelids feeling far to heavy to stay open.

She glanced around, taking in her companions, the wary lines around Nezumi's eyes and mouth, Inukashi's poorly covered yawn and how Rikiga was still laying where he had fallen in his laughter.

Slowly Karan rose to her feet; lifting up two futons she spread them out. Meeting Nezumi's eyes she nodded her head to Rikiga, Nezumi sighed, scowled and rose grabbing Rikiga's ankles as Karan lifted up his shoulders. Together they carried Rikiga to one of the futons, laying him on it.

Rikiga woke briefly slurring as he spoke, "Oh Karan…you're so kind…an angel…such a wonderful woman…" His voice trailed away into incoherent mutterings before turning into a snore and Karan and Nezumi looked at each other, Nezumi raised an eyebrow then rolled his eyes and Karan giggled.

It took far less effort for Karan to coax Inukashi into a futon and Nezumi willingly sank into another. Smiling, Karan sank into the last futon, whispering a good night to Nezumi. She was already asleep when Nezumi whispered one back, a lump burning in his throat, the faint sensation of fingers running through his hair and a half forgotten song drifting through his mind.

Karan was the first to wake, four years of waking at dawn to start cooking the things she would need for her bakery ensuring she wouldn't get a lie-in. Rising silently, Karan drifted into the kitchen, preparing what she would need for tea and gathering supplies for breakfast. It wasn't long before Nezumi had risen, sitting next to her and quietly accepting the cup of tea she handed to him.

Nezumi stared at Karan over the rim of his cup, head tilted just slightly as he thought. "Why…?"

Karan turned her head towards him and Nezumi looked away a slight blush dusting over his cheeks. Karan knew what he was asking.

"Because… You're so important to him, that to treat you any differently would destroy him…" She lent forward, one hand reaching out to cover his own, Nezumi lowered the cup, "I don't pretend to understand how Shion feels about you…but I know that if he cares about you as much as I think he does that me disliking or snubbing you would tear him apart…"

"Why…?" He sounded like a broken record, where were the flowing eloquent words he used to be able to use so easily? Why was it that this kind-hearted woman could tear apart his defences and lay open some small, hurt, vulnerable part of him that he had thought had died long ago? In fire and blood and screams.

"Because," Karan smiled squeezing his hand, "Shion loves us, _both_ of us but… In the end, he will always choose you…and I don't want him to have to make that choice."

Anything Nezumi was going to say in response to that was forgotten as Inukashi rose with a loud groan, stretching and cracking his back.

"Oi, dog-breath, mind keeping it down. Me an' Shion's mama were have a nice conversation before you wreaked it with your presence."

Snarling, Inukashi spun around, kicking Rikiga awake as he moved, Inukashi stalked towards the table where Nezumi and Karan sat.

"You damn stinkin' rat bastard. You think you're so tough, huh? If I had my dogs with me I'd have you on the ground with your throat ripped out!" Inukashi slammed his hands down on the table, glaring hatefully into Nezumi's eyes.

"Oh Inukashi you say such nice things to me." Nezumi fluttered his eyelashes as he sat up, meeting Inukashi's eyes with equal malic, "I'm all aflutter." Like lightning he slammed his knife, halfway to the hilt, directly in between Inukashi's fingers. Yelping, Inukashi leapt away, pulling his hands close to his body. Nezumi smirked darkly, yanking the blade out of the table harshly.

"What's wrong, Inukashi? Don't want to play the game anymore?"

Before Nezumi could reach Inukashi and make good on the threats that danced in his eyes Karan leapt up, planting herself in between Nezumi and Inukashi, a hand on each chest.

"That's enough, both of you. Now sit down, breakfast is almost ready." She met both of their eyes sternly and strangely cowed, both Nezumi and Inukashi sank into chairs at the table. Nezumi, face blank and calm again, slid the knife back into his pants while Inukashi crossed his arms, sneering at Nezumi.

Ignoring them for now, Karan turned to the frozen Rikiga; smiling gently she called out to him, "Rikiga. Breakfast will be ready soon. Please, come join us at the table."

Staring at the three of them, Rikiga couldn't help but burst out, "Oh Karan! I'm so sorry that you're stuck with such uncouth and cruel people! I wish you didn't have to be around such dirty people." He turned away from Karan to glare furiously at the sitting teens. Inukashi bared his teeth in response and Nezumi merely turning his lips up in a beautiful, poisonous smile. Like a flower, drawing you in with sweet promises only to stab you with a poisoned thorn.

Rikiga faltered slightly before regaining his bluster, "How dare you act like that in front of Miss. Karan? She doesn't deserve your stupid antics."

Bewildered Karan looked from Rikiga to Nezumi and Inukashi, surprisingly both of them seemed to be, at least slightly, chastised by what Rikiga had said and Nezumi rose with a flourish.

"Karan please accept this lowly rats most humble apologise. It was very ungentlemanly of me." Nezumi lifted one of Karan's hands, bowing elegantly over it as he spoke. Karan gently tugged her hand out of Nezumi's grip.

"Please…don't. I don't need you to apologise. It's fine." She reached up and gently tucked a piece of Nezumi's hair behind his ear, then she stepped back, heading towards the small stove, "Breakfast should be ready soon."

It hadn't taken long for the food Karan had made to disappear and, in what felt like no time at all, the four were seated around the kotatsu and the book held in Inukashi's hands. Inukashi stared at the book with revulsion,

"You sure I gotta read?"

Karan nodded her head firmly and Nezumi cut in before Inukashi could open his mouth to complain.

"Listen to Shion's mama and do as you're told like a _good puppy_. Who knows, I might even give you a belly rub."

Inukashi's eye started to twitch but a look from Karan quelled his retort. Inukashi cleared his throat and frowned at the pages, "Chapter Three, Flight for Life…

"**Shion inserted his ID card into the card reader of the Park Administration Office. The door opened soundlessly, and the air filtration system and temperature control started up. There was no one inside the office yet. It was odd that Yamase was not here already. Shion turned on the switch of the park administration system. It was the start of another workday.**

**"Good morning." An image of City Hall, The Moondrop appeared along with the greeting. "Your unwavering allegiance to the city―"**

**He placed his hand on the image of the Moondrop and recited slowly.**

**"I pledge hereon and ever my unwavering allegiance to the city of No. 6."**

**"Our gratitude for your loyalty. Engage in your day's labour with sincerity and pride as a good citizen of the City." The Moondrop disappeared, and was replaced with a report of the living conditions of all the organisms in the Park. Shion breathed a sigh of relief. The daily allegiance rituals had become a source of discomfort for him. Although it was among the farthest branches, Park Administration Office was still under direct affiliation with the City. All employees were required to pledge allegiance to the City every morning. If they refused, they would lose their job.**

**It was no big deal. All he had to do was cast his hand over the display, and recite the same words. Shion tried to brush it aside, but the worn and banal words of the pledge, and the sheer ridiculousness of the ritual itself always filled him with disgust. And for repeating this banal and ridiculous ritual every morning, Shion's injured pride stung. He remembered Safu complaining of the same thing. The laboratory where Safu worked also operated under the City, so an allegiance ritual was mandatory as well.**

**Shion lightly blew on his palm. It was no use complaining. As long as he was to be a citizen of No. 6, as long as he was going to continue living here, it was no use fretting about pride. So he kept telling himself.**

**The office door opened, and Yamase came in. Behind him stood a woman who looked about in her twenties. Yamase called over to her softly, but she shook her head, bowed slightly, and left in a hurry. She was a small woman with long hair.**

**"I see..." Shion stopped his hands over the control keys and turned to stare into Yamase's square, angular face.**

**"It's rare to see you with a woman, Yamase-san. Could she be―" He went on to say 'your girlfriend', but promptly shut his mouth. Yamase was sitting at his control panel, reciting the pledge of allegiance to the city. His expression was tense. Shion could tell from his face that this wasn't the right time for teasing.**

**"Yamase-san, is something the matter?"**

**"Shion, that lady..." Yamase paused, and turned to Shion. "She's the wife of yesterday's body."**

**"Huh?"**

**That would make them a couple of enormous age difference. No. 6 had no strict regulations for marriage, as long as it was between two consenting registered citizens. Even if the couple had not gotten an official marriage certificate, it was not a problem. The problem was more with whether they would be able to prepare an appropriate childrearing environment if they were to have children. Childbirth was not permitted for people who didn't meet the city's criteria of standards. Shion didn't know what those criteria were. Nevertheless, people were free to marry, and a couple or two with this much age difference was nothing out of the ordinary.**

**"She says they're only three years apart," said Yamase quietly. Shion didn't understand. "He was three years older than her," Yamase repeated.**

**"Three years... but―"**

**Yamase nodded. "That body was only 31 years old."**

Karan gasped, eyes widening in shock while the three West Block residents exchanged looks. Inukashi and Nezumi forgetting their fight, for now.

**"No way!" exclaimed Shion incredulously. "That can't be. That body was an elderly man, no matter how you look at it."**

**"Yeah," said Yamase heavily. "I was surprised too. But the body hasn't come back to the madam since. They're keeping it over at the Bureau."**

**"Keep? So you're saying an autopsy wasn't enough to find out how he died?"**

**"I guess that's what it means."**

**They couldn't find the cause of death. Shion couldn't imagine a cause of death that No. 6's front-line medical technology couldn't decode. Medicine had long had full bearings on organism analysis to the nanometre scale. An average cell measured approximately 20 micrometres. A micrometre was 1000 times larger than a nanometre. Any disease at the cellular level should be more than easy to find and analyse.**

**Shion felt a chill. Abnormal rigor mortis, its dissipation, and the body it left that was unmistakably that of an elderly man―what did it all mean? He didn't know. At present, Yamase's low voice spoke again.**

**"The madam was told that he died from an accident in the park, and to wait for further notice until they figure out his cause of death. She came here today asking if she could at least see where the accident happened."**

**"Accident? Bullshit!"**

**"You're right, it's a load of bull. Them telling her it was an accident is a huge lie," Yamase replied, and scratched his neck vigorously in irritation.**

**"Yamase-san, why does the Bureau have to lie about it? And isn't it strange that they can't seem to find a cause of death?"**

**"Yeah... this incident is full of unanswered questions."**

**"If the Bureau can't explain it, could it be a cause of death that's never had any previous case?"**

**"No previous cases?"**

**"That man died from something that was completely unknown up until now, something no one's experienced before ― is that possible?"**

**"Shion! What are you..." Yamase trailed off. His face was pale. Shion figured his own face must look the same.**

**"Let's have some coffee, shall we?" Yamase suddenly stood up as if he couldn't bear the tense atmosphere any longer. Shion hastily stood up after him.**

**"Oh, let me―"**

**"No, I'll do it. You like lots of milk in yours, right Shion?"**

**"Thanks." Shion paused. "So―but anyone could look at the body and tell it wasn't an accident, right?"**

**Yamase turned toward him. His usual gentle face was strangely contorted.**

**"Yamase-san?"**

**"Shion, bodies can be modified."**

**"Huh?"**

**"I―" Yamase stammered. "Before I started working here, I used to work at the Municipal Central Hospital. My job was to modify dead bodies."**

**"Modify―what do you mean?"**

**"I wasn't planning to tell this to anyone, but..." Yamase hesitated. "Shion, have you ever seen a dead body before?"**

**"Once, at a funeral for my grandfather on my mother's side. I saw his body in a coffin at the viewing."**

**"How was it?"**

**"How...? He looked peaceful. Don't they all look like that?"**

**"You think so?"**

**"Are you saying they don't?"**

**Medical technology had made enormous progress not only in the fields of disease treatment and prevention, but also in the removal of pain. Technology of the present day could remove anything, whether it be from accident or illness, ranging anywhere from pain during surgery, to breathing trouble, severe pain and seizures experienced in the moments leading up to death. People ended their lives free of suffering, and all died with peaceful expressions on their faces. That was what Shion had been told.**

**Yamase handed him a cup of coffee. He lowered his gaze and bent his neck to scratch it, as if to avoid Shion's gaze.**

**"All this about front-line medical technology goes right over my head," Yamase said slowly. "But all I know is that... no matter how much technology develops, it's impossible for everyone to die a peaceful death. That much I'm sure of." Yamase's face contorted even more. The hand, which held his own mug, trembled slightly.**

**"I worked for a long time in the basement of the Central Hospital. My job was to modify the bodies that were brought there."**

**"Yamase-san, so what's this about modifying bodies?"**

**"It's an easy job. When the body's been confirmed dead and brought down, I would coat its face with a special chemical and cover it with this apparatus. And then―"**

**"Then?"**

**"Then it would smile. All of them did. They would all look like they were having some wonderful dream."**

Karan shuddered, tears welling up in her eyes and her father's face appearing in her mind. He had been smiling at his funeral. And she had taken so much comfort in the fact that he had died peacefully, and it had been a lie. She swallowed back bile.

**Shion almost let out a cry. It was just as Yamase had said. He was nine years old when he saw his deceased grandfather's face, and he had been smiling.**

**"It's almost like he's having a wonderful dream," he remembered his mother whispering through her tears.**

**"Of course," Yamase continued, "the majority of people that die don't need to be modified. They're all people that have been able to get proper palliative care, and have really died a peaceful death. But it's still only a majority ― not the entire population. There are a small number of people, though, that die tragically, their faces all stiffened up in pain."**

**"For example―?"**

**"Huh?"**

**"What kind of people die like that, Yamase-san?"**

**Yamase exhaled shortly, and drained the rest of his coffee. "I don't know. My job was only to coat the faces with the chemical and cover them with the apparatus. I didn't know why these people had to die with such suffering and sadness in their faces, and no one would tell me." He paused. "But― there was this one time, a middle-aged man was brought in... I usually have to wipe the face before applying the chemical, and I noticed that the man had tear streaks on his face, and ― and I thought ― maybe he'd been crying right up until he died. I wondered if he'd been crying the whole time while he was dying. And then I just had this thought that― maybe this man had killed himself."**

**"Killed himself? A citizen of this city―?"**

**"You think it's impossible?" Yamase asked flatly.**

**"Of all causes of death in the last ten years, suicide has only been 0.05%. And most have been impulse cases due to temporary psychosis, so they technically don't even fall into that criteria. According to the city's statistics, anyway."**

**"According to what the city has published as statistics, yes," Yamase rephrased.**

**Despair did not exist in No. 6. All citizens lead a secure and hospitable life. There was no starvation, no war, no anguish. Not even any pain in the moments leading up to death.**

_**You guys have been programmed to think this holey mess is the ideal utopia.**_** Nezumi had spat these words out four years earlier. Now, Shion was experiencing its reality word for word. Lost Town was full of people who had abandoned hope. They had enough to eat, and enough to keep living. But they had no hopes for the future. Lost Town wasn't the only place―maybe the same could be said for Chronos. How many people could die with a real smile on their face, and say they've lived a fulfilling life?**

**"Yamase-san, are you saying that the Bureau is manipulating information?"**

Nezumi sighed, passing a hand over his face tiredly and shaking his head. Shion shouldn't of asked that, especially not in an enclosed room with cameras in it.

**"Shion!" Yamase warned, knitting his brow and shaking his head violently. "Don't say stuff like that out loud. We've been hired by the City. We've pledged allegiance. We shouldn't be talking about our suspicions. I don't know what's gotten into me. Forget everything I said. Just forget it."**

**"Alright," Shion replied uncertainly.**

**"Right then, let's get Sampo and the rest moving. Where were the main regions today?"**

**"Areas JK02 to ER005. Mainly cleaning up foliage."**

**"Alright, let's get to work."**

**"Right you are." They began to tap the control keys for the robots. Yamase gave a short grunt of pain.**

**"Yamase-san?"**

**"Ah, it's nothing. It's just―my fingers are strange."**

**"Hurt?"**

**"No, no...it's like they feel stiff..." He stood up unsteadily, and then suddenly crumpled to the floor, his face in his hands.**

**"Are you alright?"**

**"My eyes... I can't see...they're blurry..."**

**In the midst of reaching out to support Yamase, Shion froze. He couldn't move. Yamase's hair was turning white. Spots were beginning to spread over the hands that covered his face.**

**"Shion... what's―what's happening to me...?"**

**Frozen in horror, Shion watched as Yamase aged with astonishing speed before him. He curled up as he lay on the ground, and his back contracted in violent spasms. He was having trouble breathing. Shion lunged for the emergency intercom.**

**"We have an emergency. An ambulance, please. Quickly!"**

**Yamase coughed weakly. **_**What was happening? What was going on?**_** Shion couldn't believe what was unfolding before him. Everything seemed surreal. His mind was in a panic ― he didn't know what to do, how to deal with it. But still another part of him remained unsettlingly calm. **_**Observe. Analyse. Watch. Don't take your eyes off of him. Take in everything you can and absorb it as knowledge.**_

"Whoa…" Inukashi murmured, "Shion's kinda freaky like that, y'know?"

Karan had turned her head away, eyes closed as if it would make the words disappear, "One of the things Shion's teachers liked about teaching him was that once he had learnt or heard something, he had perfect recall. It was one of the reasons he had gotten into the Gifted Curriculum."

Inukashi and Rikiga both hummed and Rikiga couldn't help but mumble about how, "Of course Shion was in a gifted course, he was so smart…"

**Shion swallowed, and lifted Yamase in his arms. After a few weak spasms, Yamase's body was still.**

**"Yamase-san?" His face was unmistakably that of an old man. And it was no longer that of one who was living. Shion checked his pulse and pupils. Yamase's body grew colder by the minute. His mouth was open as if in astonishment, like the man from yesterday.**

_**Shion, how can this happen? I can't believe it.**_** Shion could almost imagine those words tumbling out of his parted lips.**

_**I have to close his eyes, at least.**_** Shion pressed his fingers on Yamase's eyelids. They didn't close. Rigor mortis had already begun to take its course.**

**Shion crouched beside Yamase, clenched his fists, and continued staring at his colleague with whom he was having a conversation only moments before. Feelings of fear, sorrow, or pain were curiously absent. It was as if all his feelings had gone numb.**

_**Observe. Analyse. Watch. Don't take your eyes off of him. Take in everything you can and absorb it as knowledge. And memorize it. Memorize. Memorize―**_

**Cessation of respiratory and cardiovascular activity. Decrease in body temperature. Rigor mortis. Death spots. Dissipation of rigor mortis. Post-mortem phenomena that usually took dozens of hours was taking place in a mere fifteen, sixteen minutes. It was if he was watching a film on fast-forward.**

**Shion watched unmoving, his eyes wide open, biting his lip in concentration. He could predict what was going to happen next. He was sweating. A warm bead of perspiration slid from his temple down his cheek. Its heat reassured him that he was still alive.**

_**Living people are warm.**_** You were right, Nezumi. People are warm because they're alive. Four years ago, you knew this.**

**A stain appeared on Yamase's neck. It was dark green, almost black. Shion bit his lip harder. The taste of blood spread inside his mouth. There it was, it was starting―what was previously unknown, what no one had ever experienced before. He leaned forward. The stain moved. The skin over that portion swelled slightly, and stirred.**

**A buzzer went off. Sampo was sending an Indistinguishable Object signal. Oblivious to the changes that were happening in the office, it seemed like Sampo and the rest were going about their cleaning duties as usual. Shion ignored it. He had no attention to spare. All the nerves in his body were focused on the stain. His eyes were glued to it, and he couldn't break his gaze.**

**Shion let out a muffled cry of horror. He clutched his chest, and felt his own heartbeat thudding against his palm. He jumped back. An insect had eaten its way out from under the skin of Yamase's neck, and was wriggling to get free. It was the same colour as the stain it had come out of. It had thin silvery wings, six legs, antennae, and a needle-like ovipositor.**

**"A bee..."**

**A bee had just eaten its way out of a human body. How could that―?**

**The insect took flight. He followed it with his gaze, and saw the Medical Bureau's ambulance pull up in front of the office. A sudden darkness veiled his eyes.**

**He was fainting from shock.**

**The black insect was darting around in his darkening vision. Shion groaned, and curled up on the floor.**

**~~o0o~~**

**Shion awoke to a blinding light stabbing at his eyes. He heard a quiet male voice speak.**

**"Awake?"**

**Light was streaming through the window, and the man had his back to it. His face was thrown in shadow. The shadow spoke again.**

**"Get up. I have something to ask you."**

**It was a voice he'd heard before. Shion came to, and noticed he was lying on the office sofa. Yamase, wrapped in a white cloth, was being carried out of the room. It seemed like he had fainted for only a few minutes.**

**"Yamase-san."**

**Shion called the name of his colleague almost without thinking. Yamase's smiling face crossed his mind. Fragmented memories ― how he loved coffee, and drank several cups of it a day; his quiet demeanour; his habit of sheepishly looking at his feet ― all at once burst forth in his mind.**

**They weren't particularly close. To Shion, he was just a senior colleague. He had never confided in Yamase, nor had they ever had a deeply personal conversation. But Shion had liked Yamase. Yamase never intruded unheeded into anyone's personal space, but that didn't mean he was disinterested. He was a good person. But he was no more.**

**"Yamase-san..." His eyes began to sting. He was tapped lightly on the shoulder.**

**"Let's get emotional later, shall we?" The man spoke lazily and without emotion. Shion's heart jumped unpleasantly.**

**"Can you explain the situation to us?" This voice, these words. He had heard them before.**

**"You're..."**

**"It's been a while, hasn't it? It's nice to see you still remember me."**

**It was Rashi, the Interrogations Officer from the Security Bureau. He had the same gentle tongue and unsmiling eyes as four years before.**

**"You'll tell us everything you know, won't you?"**

**Shion found himself nodding automatically. He could feel his mind begin to unravel slowly. His head and body felt heavy, and his own voice sounded as if it was coming from far away.**

_**This is bad.**_

**A warning signal sounded in a corner of his mind. But he couldn't regulate himself as well as he could yesterday. Each question that Rashi asked dragged words forth helplessly from his mouth.**

**"A bee?" Rashi furrowed his brow. He gazed around the room, and cocked his head to one side in perplexity. There was no insect, bee or otherwise, to be found in the room.**

**"I'm not buying it."**

**"Check Yamase-san's neck, there should be a scar―" He swallowed his words. There should be a scar. There should have been one, the same, on the neck of the man yesterday. The Bureau had investigated that body as an unnatural death, there was no way they could have overlooked it. They had noticed, but had told his bereaved wife that it was an accident. They didn't want the real cause of death to be known ― that was what it boiled down to.**

**Shion turned his head to the side, as if to avoid Rashi's gaze. He had spoken too much. He had divulged everything he knew, which might have been something that the Bureau intended never to reach outside ears ― classified information that they were intent on covering up. If that was the case―**

'_That's right Shion. Glad to see that there's more than just air and fluff in that big head of yours.'_

Nezumi nodded his head proudly, satisfaction shining in his eyes as he reached up to tie his hair back. Shion, despite everything, wasn't totally hopeless at self-preservation that was a relief.

**"You used to specialize in ecology, correct?"**

**"I intended to, but I never did. I have nothing to do with it now."**

**"And were you interested in the biology of insects as well?"**

**"Ecology encompasses everything that has to do with interactions of species with their environment. Insects weren't the only thing I was interested in."**

**"Ah, is that so? And specifically, what do you mean in terms of relationship between organisms and their environment?"**

**"Well―"**

**Shion could feel himself breaking into a cold sweat. A thin smile played on Rashi's lips while he spoke, his words light, his tone conversational. But his gaze never left Shion once. Two officials of the Security Bureau came in. One of them whispered in Rashi's ear. Momentarily, Rashi spoke.**

**"I hope you won't mind coming down to the Security Bureau for a bit."**

**"Huh?"**

**"It's nothing really, we just want to hear more of your story. It'll be over in minutes. I promise we won't take much of your time if you come with us."**

**"I―"**

**A buzzer sounded. Sampo was sending an Indistinguishable Object error.**

**"I'm sorry, I have to operate the cleaning robots..."**

**"Put them away. In any case, you won't get much work done today."**

**Shion ignored him. He minimized the error display, and switched over to the camera. A small grey mouse appeared on the screen. It was scurrying up and down Sampo's arm. Its mouth was open wide, and it was mouthing something incessantly. Shion brought the earphones to his ear and turned on the sound sensor.**

**"Shion." Nezumi's voice flowed through to him. "Get out of there. You're in trouble."**

_**What?**_

**"Get out."**

**Click. He heard a sound behind him. Shion turned, and found himself staring down a pair of gun barrels. He couldn't distinguish what model they were. But he knew that these were no high-tech stun guns, no, none of that sort ― they were older models, highly effective in the kill. Sport-hunting hobbyists liked to use these kinds of guns. Shion slowly flicked Sampo's speaker switch on. Now, Nezumi's end would be able to hear his voice.**

**"Are you forcing me under arrest?"**

**"I guess you could call it something like that. Regardless, you're coming with us."**

**"Don't you need a reason to arrest me?"**

**"A reason? None of that. But if you insist... your bicycle, perhaps?"**

**"My bike?"**

**"You were using a bicycle without speed-limiters. That's a breach of the law, and more than enough reason to put you under arrest."**

**"What―how―for such a ridiculous reason, without even going through the proper procedures? Using violence? Is this how you arrest a citizen of the city? What happens to my rights?"**

**"A citizen? Rights?" Rashi sneered. A violent chill ran down Shion's spine.**

**"You really think you have any of those?"**

**He could hear Nezumi click his tongue. **_**Tsk.**_

**"Guess I didn't make it in time."**

**Shion exhaled, and began shutting down the operating system. Just before it turned off, he heard Nezumi's short message ring out clearly.**

**"Shion, don't panic. I'm coming to help you."**

Inukashi snorted, "Look at that. A rat, coming to the rescue," he sneered, "I'm surprised Nezumi."

Nezumi stared at Inukashi, his eyes revealing nothing. "I had a debt to repay."

**He was right. Don't panic. Calm down. Be of sound mind. He had to buy more time. Shion relented.**

**"Please don't use any violence on me."**

**"We won't, of course. As long as you co-operate with us."**

**"It wouldn't be any use to retaliate anyway, would it?"**

**"Is it your policy not to take useless action? There's a good lad, he knows what he's talking about. It's a waste, really."**

**"A waste? What is?"**

**"For you."**

**"I don't understand what you're talking about."**

**"You'll know in good time. You've always been smart and quick to understand, like you were four years ago."**

**Flanked by two Bureau officials, Shion climbed into the car. Above them was an expanse of clear, blue autumn sky. The sun was bright. The birds were chirping. A gentle breeze blew past them. Times of peace and tranquillity they were.**

**The car glided forward. **

**"Nice weather today," commented Rashi from the passenger seat, without turning around. The official sitting on Shion's right side nodded in response. "It looks like we've been having more warmer days than usual lately."**

**Rashi turned to Shion and smiled.**

**"And yourself? Do you have a car?"**

**"No. I usually take my bike or walk."**

**"That's a good thing. Young people like you need to move their bodies more. By the way, what we're riding right now is a battery-operated car. Quite comfortable, don't you think?"**

**"Excellent I would think, if it wasn't for the situation I'm in right now," Shion replied sarcastically. In means of retaliation, it was the best he could muster. Rashi shrugged lightly.**

**"As I was saying, this car runs on fuel-cell batteries. Any idea how they work? We aren't too well-versed on the scientific side of things, I'm afraid."**

**"I don't know much either."**

**"What sort of things do you know about it?"**

**"Not much... I mean, I don't really have a lot of scientific knowledge."**

**The officials on both sides of him moved at once. He was grabbed firmly by the arms. Rashi's tone changed to that of an interrogator.**

**"Then just tell us what you do know."**

**"Like I said, what I know― it's all just general knowledge."**

**"Such as?"**

**The conversation was short, clipped and void of frivolity, but Shion felt a sort of strangling heaviness about it. He felt like someone was choking him slowly with a soft, damp piece of cloth. He felt nauseous.**

**"So... through electrolysis, alcohol is separated into oxygen and hydrogen, and by fusing them together again, energy is―"**

**"Energy is what?"**

**"Where are we going?" Shion asked suddenly. He rose, but was yanked back and shoved into his seat.**

**"Aren't we going to the Security Bureau? This isn't the way." The Bureau was located beside City Hall. From the Park Administration Office, one only had to cut through the park to get there. By car, it was a few minutes' distance. But the scenery out the window showed him the car was heading in the opposite direction.**

**"Where do you think we're going?"**

**"That's what I'm asking you right now," said Shion testily.**

**"You're not entitled to ask any questions."**

**"What―how could you―why―"**

**"Haven't I told you? You're a top suspect in this case."**

**"What case?"**

**"The death that happened today, and the other one from yesterday. You're on suspicion of murder."**

**Shion had lost his voice. He could hear the rush of blood in his ears as it receded from his face.**

**"You're a dangerous suspect. You have extensive knowledge and an intelligent brain to put it to use. I could tell just from our conversation. And to top it off, you're dissatisfied with your situation and feel a strong resistance against the City. Superior ability and hostility toward the City. Take either one, and they aren't of concern by themselves. But you have both. Dangerous, indeed."**

**"Those are false accusations."**

**"False? I beg to differ." Rashi's hand extended to a silver button beside the steering wheel. Shion's and Yamase's voice began to play from the speakers.**

_**'Yamase-san, why does the Bureau have to lie about it? And isn't it strange that they can't seem to find a cause of death?'**_

_**'Yeah... this incident is full of unanswered questions.'**_

**Shion closed his eyes. It was the conversation they'd had only minutes ago. They were being tapped the whole time. Had a microphone been hidden in the control panel? But for what purpose?**

_**'Yamase-san, are you saying that the Bureau is manipulating information?'**_

_**'Shion!'**_

**Rashi pressed the button lightly again. The voices were cut off. For a moment, a cold silence fell in the car as if the very air had frozen over.**

**"Care to hear a little more?"**

**"Please... stop... I can't believe this."**

**"Can't you?"**

**"I didn't kill anyone," said Shion flatly.**

**"So you're saying that this **_**bee**_** that you were talking about is the real murderer?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Preposterous. A rather contrived story for someone of your intelligence."**

**"What reason do I have to kill Yamase-san?"**

**"That's what we're going to figure out. My guess is that you wanted to start a commotion."**

**"―Huh?"**

**"A commotion. You wanted to start a huge one, enough to shake the very roots of the city, and bask in its glory. You must have regarded yourself as some kind of genius fallen upon ill fortune, haven't you? So you loathed the City for not favouring you as you deserved, and felt hatred toward its citizens. You believed you deserved more attention, so you thought of this method of murder, this unnatural death, to take society by storm. You had the medical and biological knowledge to do it. It was very well possible that you used some kind of special chemical to commit murder."**

**Shion sank deeply into the car seat. All energy had left his body. He realized it was a trap. He had walked right into its cunning grasp. He licked his lips. They were parched and dry.**

**"I see," he said coolly. "So it's all been scripted already. Rather **_**contrived **_**story yourself, maybe even more than mine."**

**"We'll see how contrived it is once we get through questioning you." There was a metallic clang. The official on Shion's left had handcuffed him.**

**"There's a transmitter on those, and it lets us know where you are. When we get there, you'll get to take them off." Rashi's words gave Shion an idea of where he was going. The West Block. The Correctional Facility. If he was undergoing investigation there, he was sure to be locked up right afterwards as a convict. In exchange for removing his handcuffs, he would have a V-chip implanted into him.**

―_**Nezumi, it's too late. I can't get away.**_

**He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.**

**"There's a good lad. Keep quiet."**

**Shion remained slumped, and bit his dry bottom lip.**

_**I'm coming to help you.**_** Nezumi's voice echoed in his ears. His heart grew calm. His legs trembled, though not from despair or fear, but rage. Rage at the people who had tricked him. Nezumi's voice kept that rage afloat. The car entered Lost Town.**

―_**Mom.**_

**"Are you worried about your mother?"**

**"My mother―what―what'll happen to her?"**

**"Happen? Nothing. She won't be stripped of her citizenship just because her son is a convict." Rashi whispered something to the driver. The car veered to the right. A familiar scenery of the streets came into view. The car stopped silently at the curb.**

**"Look."**

**Rashi pointed. Karan was in the midst of handing a small girl a wrapped loaf of bread. She said something to her, and the girl nodded. Both Karan and the girl were smiling. Enveloped in the amber light of autumn, the two looked as if they were part of a painting, or a scene from a drama. Shion leaned forward.**

**"Your mother looks like a gentle lady. Get a good look at her while you can." Rashi motioned with his chin, and the car began to move. "You may never see her again."**

Karan bared her teeth, fists clenched and body tight and trembling with rage. How dare they? How _dare_ they use her against Shion? How dare they threaten Shion with her safety? Tell him he won't ever see her again? How _dare_ they?

**Rashi chuckled with his back to Shion.**

**"It's nothing to be so troubled about. Sure, at first your mother will be shocked, and she'll feel sad. But she'll get over it. That's how life is. Well, it's not like anything would come of you worrying about her anyway. Soon you'll find you'll have things more serious to worry about."**

**Rashi's words sliced at Shion's heart. His breath caught in his throat. The rage and rebellion simmering inside him slowly began to dissipate. He would never be able to return to his normal life again. He had been separated from it forever. Seeing his mother etched the feeling of despair deeper into him.**

**They had calculated it all. They didn't stop the car near Shion's house out of pity for him. They had done it to deal him the final blow, the blow that knocked him down and told him, give up, lose hope, you're never going back again. It was a cunning and cruel trick to make him lose the will to retaliate.**

**"I'm coming to help you. I'm coming to help you."**

**Shion opened his mouth and repeated the words to himself.**

_**I'm coming to help you.**_** Just a short sentence. But Nezumi's voice had been steady with confidence.**

_**What did he look like again?**_** He wondered, and tried to visualize Nezumi's face. He could only remember a pair of light grey eyes.**

―_**Will I see you soon, Nezumi?**_

**"What's that?" Rashi turned around, and furrowed his brow.**

**"Are you smiling?"**

**"Smiling? Of course not," Shion replied. "I don't have the courage to smile in this kind of situation."**

**"In this situation, huh... you seem rather calm about it. I hope you do understand exactly what kind of situation you're in right now."**

**"Almost too well."**

**"Aren't you calm and collected in spite of that."**

**"I'm a natural."**

**"A what?"**

**"A natural," Shion repeated. "I've been told that by someone once. That I'm a natural at not getting it."**

**Rashi stared at Shion in silence. The car was exiting Lost Town and approaching the western border. It was Shion's first time here, because regular citizens were not allowed to enter into this area. No. 6 was a citadel― a wall made of special alloy circled the city and enclosed it. In most parts if the city, the wall was camouflaged well with trees, but in the West Block it stood bare. The car bypassed the Access Control Office.**

**"Aren't you going to enter the West Block from here?"**

**"There are two gates. That one was for entering and exiting the city. The other one is especially for entering the Correctional Facility, it leads directly into it. The Correctional Facility is a special kind of facility, even in the West Block. We keep it completely isolated from all general citizens. I bet you didn't know that."**

**"No, I didn't."**

**"You'll find out even more soon enough."**

**The path narrowed. An increasing number of trees blocked the sunlight.**

**"Once we're through the woods, there will be nothing but wastelands. Past the gates it'll be the same. It'll probably be the last time you see any greenery, so I advise you engrave it into your memory well."**

**The car stopped.**

**"What's the matter?" Rashi asked.**

**"Ah, it's just..." The driver pointed to something in front of them. A silver-coloured lump was laying across the middle of the road. Slowly, it raised itself.**

**"Sampo?" Shion swallowed.**

**"What's this? What's a cleaning robot doing here?"**

**"Maybe it has orders to clean the forest area?"**

**"I haven't heard anything about it."**

**Sampo was scooping up fallen leaves with his metal arms.**

**"Keep an eye on the suspect." Rashi ordered the officials, and got out of the car. He approached Sampo. Sampo swayed, its arms grabbing a hold of Rashi. Clinging to him, it fell forward.**

**Rashi gave a short cry, and was dragged by Sampo to the ground amongst the trees.**

**"Ah!" The driver raised his own voice in surprise, and opened the door to lean forward. The next moment, two small shadows darted into the car. They were two grey mice. In a flash, they each latched onto the throat of a Bureau official.**

**"Don't move," a low voice commanded. A person slid into the passenger seat. A grey cloth covered his head and was wrapped around his shoulders. From them, a brown mouse sprang onto the base of the driver's neck.**

**"These guys have small bombs planted in their bodies. Try anything funny, and you can count on your heads being blown off."**

**The driver whimpered in terror.**

**"Take his handcuffs off. And the three of you, get out of the car."**

**No one moved.**

**"Quickly!" he ordered sharply. "I'm impatient. Do you want me to set them off?" There was a metallic sound from the mice that were latched onto each throat. Click. Click. Click. The handcuffs fell from Shion's wrists. The three men tumbled out of the car, bleeding at the neck.**

**"Nezumi!"**

**"Greetings later." Nezumi gripped the steering wheel. The car spun around in a U-turn, and hurtled down the road at full speed.**

**"Nezumi, are you really going to make them explode?"**

**"Idiot. You think I would plant bombs into my faithful friends? That was just to scare them."**

**"Were those robot mice? They looked just like the real thing. And with Sampo, how did you―"**

**"Shut up," Nezumi growled. He yanked the cloth off his head, and threw it to the backseat. "Wrap that over your head and stay curled up."**

**"Is this superfibre? Why do I have to wrap up in this?"**

**"Because I'm going to crash it."**

**"Crash what?"**

**"The car."**

**"What!? Why―"**

**Nezumi's fist pounded the steering wheel.**

**"Just shut up, alright? Is asking questions all you're good for?"**

**"But we can just escape with the car."**

**"I was planning to, but―"**

**"But what?"**

**"It went too well." They were approaching the wall that separated the West Block from No. 6. The car showed no signs of slowing down. "It shouldn't have been this easy to rescue you."**

**"Really?"**

**"You're naturally dense, you wouldn't know. It doesn't get any more dangerous when something's gone too well. That's why we're going to dump this thing. When I tell you to, wrap up in that cloth and jump out of the car. I'm gonna crash it."**

**"How about you?"**

**"I'm used to this kind of thing. No need for the dense boy to worry about me."**

**"I can't just leave you!"**

**The wall was looming closer.**

**"Get out, open the door!" Nezumi yelled. Almost simultaneously, the tires screamed as the car screeched to a halt. Shion's body floated up. The next minute, he was being slammed back against the seat. If it weren't for its shock-absorbing material, he probably would have broken a few bones.**

**"Damn it!" Nezumi kicked the door hard. It didn't move.**

**"Is it the automatic brake system?" Shion winced at his bruised shoulder as he asked.**

**"I disabled that a long time ago. I disabled the alarm system, the collision sensor system, everything. This car's being controlled remotely," Nezumi said angrily.**

**A chuckle resounded throughout the interior of the car. It was Rashi's voice.**

**"I won't have you underestimate the Security Bureau. The car that you boys are riding is actually an escort cruiser, though you might not have noticed. It's not something you can control so easily."**

**Nezumi swore.**

**"I didn't know you had an accomplice. That was something I didn't expect. It was quite the spectacle, very impressive. Why don't we have a nice talk, and I can hear all about it."**

**The car changed directions, and began to move on its own.**

**"Rather quiet, hmm? Can your friend not talk? Or does talking pose some kind of problem? Ah, your voice sample must be in the system, which means you have a criminal record."**

**"I think **_**you're**_** talking a bit too much." Nezumi's hands moved swiftly. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time for pointless conversations with old men." Nezumi moved to the back seat and pushed Shion down. "Duck and get under the cloth. Hold on tight."**

**"Hey! What are you doing?" There was a note of panic in Rashi's voice.**

**"See ya, old man. Say goodbye to your high-tech escort cruiser too."**

**"What―"**

**There was a blast. A wave of impact slammed into them.**

**"Get out!" The short command burst at Shion's ear. The door opened. A gust of hot air swept over them. **_**Outside. I have to get outside.**_** Shion screwed his eyes shut, and leapt into the outside world. He hit the ground, and rolled. Behind him, he heard an enormous explosion. The car was on its side, its wheels in the air spinning helplessly.**

**"Good job," Nezumi whistled. "You rolled pretty well for someone with such a big head. Not hurt, are you?"**

**"I scraped my arm pretty badly. You?"**

**"I told you, I'm used to this."**

**"What did you do?"**

**"I destroyed the steering system."**

**"How?"**

**"Escort cruisers might be durable on the outside, but they're delicate on the inside. As long as you set it in the right place, any small bomb will put it right to sleep."**

**"You seem to know a lot about it."**

**"Like I said, I'm used to this. Right, now to get out of here. Can you run?"**

**"Of course."**

**They emerged from the wood to see several Security Bureau cars approaching in the distance. The area had probably been put under emergency alert.**

"**Throw your ID card away," Nezumi ordered quietly. "Hurry up, there's no time to waste. The thing is only going to be a danger to us."**

**Shion knew. His ID card carried all his personal information, and it was connected to and stored in the city's administrative computer system. The computer could instantly pull up his latest information, or pinpoint his location from the weak radio waves that his card emitted. Carrying his ID card was like waving a large flag and telling everyone where he was. It was a dangerous device for anyone who was on the run, in hiding, or aiming to go underground. Nezumi was telling him to throw it away. But― once let go; he would never be able to get it back again. He would be throwing his whole life in No. 6 away. A card was needed for everything from shopping, bill payments, and communication to entering and exiting the workplace or school, and using public transportation. Those who couldn't prove their citizenship in the city were not allowed to live there.**

**"Throw it away," Nezumi repeated, in the same low voice.**

**If he didn't toss it, there was no chance for them to escape. But if he did, he would never be able to return. The pair of grey eyes were fixed on him. They were neither clouded in panic, nor glinting in challenge. They were calm, and unreadable. Shion let go of his ID card. A grey mouse appeared, picked up the card in its mouth and disappeared again into the undergrowth.**

**"He'll get rid of it for us. That should keep the Bureau busy for a while trying to find our location. Not much of a distraction, but it should buy us some time. Let's go."**

**A Security Bureau car turned right and disappeared into the forest. It had picked up the radio waves emitted by the ID card. They ran in the opposite direction.**

**"Hurry. Once the Bureau switches to their satellite surveillance system, they'll be able to see everything on land. We have to get away while they're still on the tail of that ID card."**

**"Where? How―?"**

**"Well for starters, we'll use that." A small truck was parked up against a beech tree. It was a Park Administration truck. A cleaning robot was loaded on the back.**

**"Sampo― no, that's Ippo."**

**"Yeah. They said they wanted to help you and wouldn't listen, so I brought them along. They ended up being pretty useful."**

**The truck began to move.**

**"Nezumi, this area's probably under high alert now. If we keep hanging around here without a card, they'll find us out."**

**"We have a card."**

**"Where?"**

**"He has it," Nezumi jerked his chin at Ippo.**

**"Ippo? Oh, right." Robots were also required to be registered with the city. Robots like Ippo and Sampo, which were used by city organizations, were registered in detail according to their various uses, and implanted with a chip.**

**"His chip should get us through the inspection system."**

**"But Ippo's chip only shows that he's a cleaning robot. If he's found roaming an area that has nothing to do with it, they'll get suspicious."**

**"We're roaming an area that has **_**everything**_** to do with it."**

**"Huh?"**

**They were approaching a pair of silver gates. The moment they passed through, they would be automatically scanned, and if the contents of the chip deemed them unfit to pass, the gates would close, and the truck would be forced to a halt.**

**The truck sped through the gates without slowing down. The hazard lamps at the gate remained unlit. Shion let out a breath. Nezumi chuckled.**

**"Don't get worked up just yet. This is only the beginning."**

**"Sorry, I'm not used to this kind of thing."**

**"You'll get used to it in no time. Then you can sit back and enjoy the ride."**

**"This isn't really my idea of 'enjoyable'," Shion muttered.**

**"Oh, really? The look on your face says you're enjoying this quite a bit."**

**Shion sighed deeply again, and gazed at Nezumi's profile.**

**"Admiring my good looks?"**

**"No, I just noticed you've gotten taller."**

**"So have you. It's been four years. Our four years is a long time. Gotta expect some changes. It would be unnatural not to have changed at all."**

**Four years was a long time. For Shion, it was long and turbulent. But compared to the dizzying events of these past few hours, he felt like they were the most peaceful days of his life. A weariness overcame his body. Nezumi smirked.**

**"So have you noticed?"**

**"What?"**

**"I'm taller than you."**

**"Lies," Shion objected.**

**"It's the truth. What have you been eating? You're like a twig. I don't know how you would be able to get naked in front of your lover with a body like **_**that**_**."**

**"That's none of your business," Shion replied irritably. "Have you even seen me naked? Don't go making things up."**

**"What if I said I have?" The cloth wrapped around Nezumi's shoulders shook as he continued to laugh. Shion had treated a wound on that same shoulder four years before. Those shoulders were now broader and more muscled. His once-long hair was shorter, just covering his ears, and his jawline and neck were still slender, but not pitifully thin. He carried no remnant of the weakness that stirred Shion's protective instinct four years ago.**

**"Nezumi, have you been keeping watch on me?"**

**"What're you talking about?" said Nezumi innocently.**

**"Don't play dumb. You appeared right there as if you knew this was going to happen to me. What's going on? Were you keeping me under surveillance?"**

**"Now, don't think too highly of yourself. I don't have that kind of time on my hands."**

**"Then explain why."**

**"You're always like that, aren't you," Nezumi said. "You can't take any action unless you understand everything in your head. You need an explanation and interpretation for everything."**

**"What do you know?" Shion replied angrily. "Don't act like you know everything about me. I need to find out why this happened― what's going to happen. I can't move in this confused state."**

**The truck came to a halt. Shion was grabbed by the collar and shaken violently.**

**"You're going to move," Nezumi hissed. "Don't ever let me hear you whining about not being able to move again. Those guys don't see us as human beings. They can get rid of us as easily as crushing an ant under their feet. You remember that."**

**Shion caught his breath, and stared into Nezumi's face. His words clicked into place like puzzle pieces.**

_**Rights? You really think you have any of those?**_** The Security Bureau's Investigations Officer Rashi had said those words, not moving a muscle on his face. What he had said in meaning was that he could dispose of Shion as easily as stepping on an ant. Wipe him off the face of the earth.**

**"Get out." Nezumi opened the door. "We're walking from here."**

**The vacated truck made a U-turn and slowly coasted along the way that they had come. It had switched to autopilot and was returning to the Park Administration Office. On its loading deck sat Ippo, and for a moment, it looked like its head was bowed in dejection.**

**They were standing inside what doubled as a waste disposal plant and Refuse-derived Fuel (RDF) factory. Here, all the garbage gathered from the city were sorted into those to be turned into RDF, those to be forwarded to other recycling facilities, and those to be discarded as waste. 80% of No. 6's energy supply came from solar power. In Chronos, every house was equipped with solar panels and its own thermal storage system. In Lost Town, however, it was more common to use the cheaper RDFs. RDFs were blocks of solid fuel, about the size of an adult thumb. Once burned, they emitted a faint odour, which blanketed the town.**

**"I see. It would be no problem getting into a waste disposal plant with a cleaning robot's chip." If it had been a nursing robot or pet robot, they would not have been able to pass.**

**"Nezumi, was this all part of your plan when you brought Ippo and them along?"**

**"More questions?" Nezumi's shoulders hunched slightly in exasperation, his back to Shion, who trailed behind. Shion noticed that there was now a grey mouse sitting on Nezumi's shoulder.**

**"If I had them with me, I wouldn't look suspicious driving around the city. The inspection system wouldn't catch me as long as I was heading west in the direction of the waste disposal plant. They were pretty useful, I'll say. The transport truck was kind of slow, which pissed me off. But those old guys took a detour to your house, right? That bought me a little time. But..."**

**"But?"**

**"But I would have wanted to get away on the Security Bureau car," Nezumi sighed. "Well, that just shows you can't get everything you want. Watch it, things are gonna get a little rough from here."**

**"Huh?"**

**There was an explosion. Shion turned to see a cloud of white smoke. Nezumi furrowed his brow.**

**"The truck got destroyed at the gate."**

**"Which means Ippo's chip was read and―"**

**"Yeah. They must have sent out a destruction order to all the gates. It's because we left that other robot behind. They figured us out."**

―_**So Ippo and Sampo are both gone.**_

**Shion was suddenly grabbed by the wrist.**

**"They'll find out soon that we're in here. We're gonna make a run for it. Hurry."**

**His grip was so strong that Shion's fingers began to go numb.**

**"Nezumi, it hurts."**

**"Shut up. Keep close to me."**

**"I get it, let go. You're gonna break my wrist."**

**He heard Nezumi **_**tsk**_** in frustration.**

**"That's the problem with delicate little boys like you."**

**"I'm not a delicate little boy," Shion said indignantly. "I'm different from four years ago."**

**"Are you? You know, you can be really irritating sometimes. You might get killed at any time, you understand that right?"**

**"Yeah."**

**"Lies."**

**"I'm not lying."**

**Nezumi's tone grew harsh.**

**"Then what was that face back there, huh? Is this the time to be feeling sorry for those robots? You don't understand anything. You're just an oblivious little boy." Nezumi's fingers dug in harder. The grip on his wrist tightened painfully. Shion gritted his teeth and bore it silently. He couldn't stand to let himself whimper pitifully after all that Nezumi had said.**

**Nezumi's fingers withdrew from his wrist.**

**"Keep up with me if you don't wanna die. Stay close, no matter what." Nezumi broke into a run. The waste disposal plant was deserted. There were surveillance cameras scattered throughout, but most were older models and didn't seem to be doing their job very well. Shion guessed that they probably didn't need them because no one would think of sneaking into the waste disposal plant in the first place. Nevertheless, Nezumi combed the path cautiously as he searched for a route that kept them out of view of the cameras.**

**An enormous funnel-shaped disposal machine was giving off a steady hum. Waste that could neither be recycled nor used as fuel were turned into dry chips here to be sent to the incinerator. Wastewater dripped from the spout of the machine into the pool below. The water flowed slowly toward the filtration facilities outside. It was murky, like a river after a bout of heavy rain. But in this river there were no living things. As they descended the stairs and drew closer to the water, an acrid smell assaulted Shion's nostrils. The floor beneath their feet was coated with slime, and threatened to trip him up any time. Nezumi stopped, and tossed something at Shion.**

**"Goggles?"**

**"Yup. They have infrared sensors, so you should be able to see even in this water."**

**"In here?"**

**Nezumi pointed at the sewage. "Happen to like scuba-diving?"**

**"So we're diving in here, huh..."**

**"That we are."**

**Shion took a deep breath. The odour filled his lungs. Without another word, he put on the goggles.**

**"Wow, you're picking up quickly," Nezumi, remarked in mild amusement. "I thought you'd whine and stamp your feet."**

**"I don't wanna die," said Shion firmly. "I'm not going to be stepped on like some ant. I'll do anything if it'll save me, and that includes diving into wastewater too."**

**Nezumi turned to Shion and gave a slight smile.**

**"Then follow me."**

**"Of course."**

**The low hum of the machine stopped. The ceiling lights lit up at once. The sound of footsteps could be heard above them.**

**"They're coming." Nezumi extended a hand to the river of sewage. A mouse scurried down it and leapt into the water.**

**"He'll be our navigator. Try not to splash. Get into the water slowly."**

**Shion did as he was told. He sucked in a deep breath before going in. Just before he hit the water, an image of his mother's face crossed his mind."**

Inukashi closed the book with a sharp snap, staring at Nezumi with unreadable eyes.

"What?" Nezumi snapped, eyes flaring.

Inukashi didn't respond, didn't seem to even hear him and just stared at him before silently handing the book to him, "Looks like it's your turn to read Nezumi…"

Nezumi blanked his face and silently took the book from Inukashi, his eyes flicked up to study Karan and Rikiga. Karan looked distressed from what had been read but her eyes were firm and Rikiga, while looking at Karan worriedly, was also calm. He sighed and flipped the book to chapter four.

* * *

><p>And is done.<p>

Phew that took a while! And at a whopping 32 pages and 10,436 words (author's notes not included) I'm pretty sure this is my longest ever chapter. Also I'm so bad at writing Rikiga I'm sorry and for some reason Inukashi just didn't want to act like himself. He was fine at the beginning but by the end. /sigh/ Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


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